How to Keep Writing without a Deadline: From A Certified Procrastinator
Kaylee Houghton
Writing is so fun; finishing a piece, on the other hand, is hard. Trust me, I know. There is nothing to keep you accountable, and anytime you write, you get another grand idea about another story, so you start another story, forgetting about the old story. It’s a never-ending cycle, and your Google Drive is beginning to run out of storage space because you have so many half-finished stories. Here are some things that can keep you accountable when you don’t have a deadline approaching.
Make Your Own Goals
You probably hear this all the time, “make your own goals,” and it doesn’t work. Normal daily goals don’t work for me because not having the accountability and a grade in danger doesn’t give me the same urgency. Instead, I make goals like not starting a new story until this one has at least X number of pages done or writing down your idea on another piece of paper, but you can’t start until the last page of your current work is finished. These are goals that don’t give me a deadline but an incentive to finish the piece that I’ve already started. Using the S.M.A.R.T. goal method can also be beneficial if you have people to hold you accountable.
Accountability Matters
When setting any goal, I tend to forget about it unless I’ve written it down. Even then, it’s out of sight, out of mind. Telling someone about my goals always helps me stay accountable and on top of things. When they ask me about it later, I feel guilty if nothing has been done, prompting me to work on my pieces continuously. Telling someone can solidify the project in place, and it’s a constant reminder that you have someone either waiting to read it or looking forward to how the story will turn out. With that in mind, it will help you continue to write it because then you won’t be the only one disappointed when you leave a project unfinished.
Finding a Third Place
You have your home, where you relax, and you have school, where you learn, and associating a place with just writing can help you expand your bubble and become motivated to write. It’s a little trick I learned recently; separating each function from a place allows me to do each task better. I like to write in a coffee shop. It can be anywhere, but keep it consistent; otherwise, your brain may not understand that this is where writing gets done. I have a third place at home and when I’m away at school. It helps me finish writing, even when I am not obligated to do so.
Consistency is Key
You probably hear that all the time. ‘Consistency is Key.’ I hear this all the time, whether it was my teacher or my family telling it to me. I only understood why once I got to college. Consistency was something that helped me overall be the most productive person I can be. Once I realized this, my life became relatively easy and I regretted not having a routine in my life sooner. Putting writing into my weekly routine was a step in the right direction. It became something that I did every week without fail, and when I didn’t do it, my whole week felt off. It’s kind of like when you forget to brush your teeth; it becomes a habit. So yeah, you may have heard ‘consistency is key’ way too often, but they were on to something, and I encourage you to try it.
All of these things have helped me not only be able to write consistently but also become a better writer in the long run. This is also coming from someone who will wait until the last minute to do absolutely anything. If you’re also like that, I encourage you to try it. It won’t hurt anything, and if it doesn’t work for you, don’t give up. It took a lot of trial and error for me to get to this point, so it may not be perfect for you, but eventually, you’ll find something that works. Just don’t give up!
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