[Guest Expert] Dr. Daisy Sutherland: Stop the Procrastination and Start Writing

Do you remember back when you were in grammar school? The English teacher always seemed to give you a writing assignment that was not only lengthy but on a subject that meant nothing to you or anyone else. Perhaps those feelings are still lingering in your mind and the culprit to your procrastination today. It doesn’t have to be that way; in fact you can stop the procrastination once and for all with some easy and simple steps.

Step 1: Write What You Know

If you find yourself writing about a subject that is foreign to you, then you will undoubtedly hit a brick wall.  Instead choose topics that you are familiar with. This simple concept is one that many seem to forget and find themselves struggling to write one word or these days type one word.  This step will place you in familiar territory and the writing will come much easier. Choose subjects or topics you don’t have to do research on or if you do it will be minimal at best.

Step 2: Write from the Heart

This is one that comes easy to me but it can come easy to you as well. What are you passionate about? Perhaps it’s teaching individuals or sharing your experiences to teach people or guiding people in a direction that will lead them to success. Find the drive within you, your purpose so to speak, and use that to ignite the fire within you. Once that fire is ignited, the words will flow – making writing a joy instead of a task.

Step 3: Just Do It

No, I don’t expect you to lace up your sneakers and be more like Michael Jordan but if that’s what it takes, then just do it! Too often people will make up a million excuses as to why they can’t get a task accomplished. This action is similar to that of a child who doesn’t want to do a chore. It actually turns out that the energy expended on the whining and complaining could be used in a positive manner such as writing. Many times this whole process can be avoided by facing your fears and simply doing it! Sure, it’s easier said than done but once you take that first step, you’ll soon find yourself running and wondering what took you so long.

Implementing the steps above will help in your writing venture. Will you become a writing machine overnight? Perhaps not, but taking the first steps to moving past your fears and those set up by procrastinating because of those fears will set you on your path of writing success. We are not all writers but we do have experiences that can be shared. What better way to share those experiences than with words?

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Dr. Daisy Sutherland is a Doctor, Author, Radio Personality, as well as a Parenting/Relationship Expert.