Productive Procrastination
Do you ever get sidetracked by a “productive project” at the expense of your real work? Before I started writing this blog, a Bookfunnel promo popped up in my inbox, and I had to check it out. I figured it was worth my time, so I started working on it. I had to stop to meet this deadline, but I want to go back to it.
This is an example of what I call “productive procrastination”—work that seems like a good use of my time and truly could be.
Sometimes, writing is the last thing I want to do. Or I’m stuck and need to get my creative juices flowing. That’s the perfect time to get cracking on these projects. If it takes more than five minutes to get into the real work … well, it’s time to engage.
I wrote down all the ways I productively avoid my manuscript. I have to think carefully before I commit to these things. It's not a complete list, but most of what has plagued me this year. I’d love to hear what’s on yours.
Making playlists. I write rockstar romance, and music plays a role like a third protagonist. It’s a ménage à trois between the characters and the lyrics. Playlists are becoming a great way to engage readers, giving them a link to a Spotify or YouTube list they can play either as they read or another time to get the vibe. Truthfully, it helps me just as much, if not more, when I need to get my brain into the headspace of my project.
Generating chapter titles. This is a particular favorite of mine and the topic of a future blog post. To me, each chapter is a solo work, adding to the whole, much like a puzzle piece. A chapter title, to me, is like a cherry on top of a sundae. A sundae is delicious, but isn’t it just a little better with that cherry gracing the top of a cloud of whipped cream? The beauty of the dessert, as well as the flavor?
Creating a chapter epigraph. Because I write rockstar romance, I used to take small parts of songs at the beginning of chapters. Another mood maker for myself and my readers. That was until I found out that’s a breach of copyright—oops! I now generate comical and outlandish lines for my characters that I don’t include in the chapter. It's a small bonus.
Vibe boards. Vision boards or idea scrapbooks for the book or chapter. Do you ever try to find a photo that perfectly resembles a location or character? I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve sat, scrolling the internet for pictures that make me go—that’s him! The image at the head of this blog entry? Yup, it took me thirty minutes to create it. A half hour I could’ve spent editing my manuscript. It’s so easy for me to overdo this.
Social Media. This is an obvious distraction. Indie and traditional authors are all slaves to the social media demon now. Promoting our work is part of our job—Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, X, Bluesky. Now it’s Substack, and I have no idea what Kickstarter is. Next month, there could be a new social media du jour. It boggles my mind. But I get into it … sucked in, talking to readers and other writers. I use it to educate myself and find jobs as an editor. But I have to put my foot down—there’s got to be a balance. It’s taken me practice finding it, but I’m doing better. I set a timer and try not to spend more than an hour on it. When I’m promoting a book, it’s hard to avoid.
Making images for media: I could spend hours in Canva making promo images, videos, or even scrapbooks for the family.
Random blogging. Every day, I think, “That would make an interesting blog post.” Hence this post. I’ve got fifty more in the hopper, half written and needing proofreading. Something I want to think about, learn about, or share with others.
Day planning: I will sit in front of my calendar and stare at it for an hour, coloring it, putting stickers all over it, making it look pretty. I am obsessed with Sarra Cannon’s day planners and notebooks, wondering if I make my days pretty on paper, will they be pretty? Not really, but it’s a good way to avoid the manuscript.
Research. Oh, this is big, right? Have you ever overresearched? I did this with music contracts and wrote paragraphs and paragraphs about it in the middle of the scene, then edited it out because it was overkill. I have to limit my exposure to research lest I'm tempted to include it all. This is fiction. I’m allowed to use my imagination to bridge the gap. Some things I like to research: locales, characters, publishing trends and how-to articles.
Web classes on craft. For a while, I’d say yes to every “free Zoom class” that dropped in my inbox. Never mind, they were freebies designed to sell a product (I’m not saying that diminishes their usefulness). I was hooked and wanted to watch every single one to become an expert. I reached a point where I realized that self-study alone wasn’t enough; I needed hands-on experience to succeed.
Marketing: I think this goes without saying—social media, blogging, advertising, creating graphics, newsletters—so much. Somewhere, I heard that fifty percent of business is marketing and selling ourselves.
Joining multiple writing groups. This falls under overeducating myself. I don’t need to be deeply involved in five writer groups.
How do you productively procrastinate?
