Dear writer,
Even when you have brilliant ideas and the skills to make them come to life, there are moments when Sister Procrastination just won’t leave you alone. No matter how much you want to write.
Many things can keep you from progressing on your book, and although the reasons can vary from one author to the other, there are common traits that show up quite frequently.
So here are five reasons why writers procrastinate (heads-up: four of them are related to mindset, not skills!).
The mindset causes of writer procrastination
1️⃣ Impostor syndrome
You don’t feel “legit” as an author, so you keep telling yourself:
- Who am I to write a book?
- I’m not a real writer.
- There are millions of books out there, I have nothing original to say.
- I don’t have what it takes to do this…
These thoughts prevent you from starting out (or continuing), because you’re afraid to write something stupid or to make a fool of yourself…
2️⃣ Perfectionism
You want each sentence to be perfectly right from the get-go, even on your first draft. Maybe because you think it will make the revision process easier later on. But as a result, you spend hours, if not days, rewriting and editing the same few chapters, instead of moving forward on the story.
3️⃣ Fear of failure and/or judgment
You’re afraid that your book isn’t going to be good enough or find an audience. This fear makes you put off the moment when your work might be judged by others.
4️⃣ Overwhelm
You have too many ideas, or, on the contrary, you don’t know how to begin. Without some kind of plan or outline (even a loose one), writing becomes this huge mountain to climb, and it can feel like too much. So you keep postponing the moment when you finally have to face this feeling of overwhelm and start writing.
5️⃣ Lack of accountability
Without a fixed deadline, editor, or clear commitment, you keep postponing your writing sessions, thinking you’ll have time “later”. But later never comes… Without structure or a specific time frame, the project just stays stuck in limbo.
How to start breaking the cycle
These are only a few of the reasons why writers procrastinate on their book, but there are many more…
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way! With a bit of self-awareness, you can learn to spot the cause of your procrastination.
Here’s a quick tool you can use:
Pay attention to the moment you start procrastinating.
- What happened right before?
- What thought crossed your mind?
- What feeling showed up?
- And what did you do to avoid that feeling?
The idea is to track the pattern and learn to catch yourself in the future, before Sister Procrastination takes over. Because even if there’s a lot of generic advice out there about overcoming procrastination, nothing beats self-reflection 😊
How mindset coaching can help you write again
Sometimes these patterns are deeply rooted and they lead to long-lasting writer’s block. It can be difficult to spot them on your own and to understand what’s behind them.
That’s where support can be beneficial.
With the help of a mindset coach specialized in writing (hello, that’s me 😁), you can work through these blocks and finally make progress on your book.
If that sounds like something you need, just subscribe to the newsletter to get my best tips on overcoming writer’s block 😊
❓️ What about you? What makes you procrastinate on writing your book? Let me know in the comments below, it might be helpful for other writers to see that they’re not alone in this struggle 😊
Until next time, my friend, write on! 😃
