One Tip to Overcome Procrastination and Start Writing

What is it that can overtime your writer’s block? Jim Gibbon introduces a technique called contingency management. Sounds complicated? It is not:

What’s it all about?

Contingency Management is simple. Choose a daily task that you value (e.g., checking your email, working out, showering) and make it contingent on writing for a period of, say, 30 minutes. The trick is finding a contingency that is important enough to you, something you really can’t go a day without skipping. For me, checking my email works like a charm.

If you have trouble finding the right task, or if you don’t trust yourself to stick to the plan, enlist a friend to help you in the following way, which comes directly from Boice: On any day that you fail to write, a prewritten check for $25 will be sent to an organization that you absolutely hate. Ouch!

Okay – using contingency to force yourself to write? That may work. I can see one benefit from it, then can easily change to your habit once you keep doing it.

One Simple Technique to Help You Overcome Procrastination and Start Writing Now – [Jim Gibbon]