Is there a worse combination than writer's block and procrastination?

[pskovacs]

Having gone through the process of both of these phenomena over the last couple months, i can say without a doubt that I've never felt such a crunch to get work done than I do now (but I'm at work , and won't be able to start the work in earnest for another hour or so).

I had finished the first draft of my Master's Thesis in late February, and received notes back from my advisor in early March. I had initially procrastinated and took it easy, figuring I had a bunch of time to get things done, and that over Spring Break i could get things done... Spring break arrives, and every time I sat to work on the dissertation, I just kept having the worst mental blocks, and nothing got done... this writer's block lasted until around a week ago. I have done some work in the last week, but not nearly enough as I wanted to.

My advisor got back to me today giving me an ultimatum of getting the next draft to him no later than Sunday night. I feel I can get this done, but it will require me to essentially write around 25-30 pages in the next 72 hours or so... fortunately though it's not all from scratch, and I finally have the general plan set in my mind... now to just get it to paper.

After he gets back to me early in the week, I'll then have until the weekend after the coming weekend to do finishing touches, so that my committee can approve my project by the deadline on May 10th. I've been had rd at work on this project in some sort or another for the last 3 and a half years, and it's all coming down to this... hopefully if all goes well, I will receive the PhD program offers that I am expecting.

The moral of this story is to work hard, and try to avoid procrastinating as much as possible, as you never may know when writer's block or other forces get in your way. That said, I feel confident that I can overcome these obstacles this time around, and have the ammunition to prevent it again in the future.

[Benedict]

Aren't they the same thing?

Happy writing.

[jappe]

Having gone through the process of both of these phenomena over the last couple months, i can say without a doubt that I've never felt such a crunch to get work done than I do now (but I'm at work , and won't be able to start the work in earnest for another hour or so).

I had finished the first draft of my Master's Thesis in late February, and received notes back from my advisor in early March. I had initially procrastinated and took it easy, figuring I had a bunch of time to get things done, and that over Spring Break i could get things done... Spring break arrives, and every time I sat to work on the dissertation, I just kept having the worst mental blocks, and nothing got done... this writer's block lasted until around a week ago. I have done some work in the last week, but not nearly enough as I wanted to.

My advisor got back to me today giving me an ultimatum of getting the next draft to him no later than Sunday night. I feel I can get this done, but it will require me to essentially write around 25-30 pages in the next 72 hours or so... fortunately though it's not all from scratch, and I finally have the general plan set in my mind... now to just get it to paper.

After he gets back to me early in the week, I'll then have until the weekend after the coming weekend to do finishing touches, so that my committee can approve my project by the deadline on May 10th. I've been had rd at work on this project in some sort or another for the last 3 and a half years, and it's all coming down to this... hopefully if all goes well, I will receive the PhD program offers that I am expecting.

The moral of this story is to work hard, and try to avoid procrastinating as much as possible, as you never may know when writer's block or other forces get in your way. That said, I feel confident that I can overcome these obstacles this time around, and have the ammunition to prevent it again in the future.

Hmm...perhaps some ASMR relaxation could remove some of the stress?

[Last Alternative]

Man this applies to everything. Especially me. Very good points.

[C4M]

A one day fly with a bad day? I think that's a more worse combination as writer's block and procrastination.

[Kalm]

No, lol I'm in the last leg of getting my master's and just turned in my paper on synthesis basics and operation. Now I finally have time to produce and its like . . . Well what do I want to do. Let's just go home and watch Attack on Titan. I know this feeling all too well. Now I have a surge to get my EP done so I can graduate.

[sumusik]

Aren't they the same thing?

Happy writing.

The former is the excuse for the latter.

[Benedict]

Aren't they the same thing?

Happy writing.

The former is the excuse for the latter.

I would postulate that the opposite is really the truth

fear > procrastination > block

[pskovacs]

Made some decent progress, yet I may wind up needing to push back my conferral to the Summer... not necessarily given at this moment, but if it does happen, it won't be the end of the world either.

As to the relationship between fear/anxiety, procrastination, and writer's block, a couple interesting theories are presented... I do think fear/anxiety is an aspect that I had overlooked in the first place, and is something that I rarely am able to diagnose within myself.

My personal theory is that anxiety or fear about a situation can directly lead to both procrastination and writer's block independently, but that procrastination and writer's block can both lead to the other, and in return add to fear and anxiety as well... Kind of causing a bit of a vicious cycle as (crudely) diagrammed below:

|-----------------------|
| |
| |--> Procrastination
v | ^
Fear/Anxiety --| |
^ | v
| |--> Writer's Block
| |
|----------------------|

The key to breaking the cycle would likely be to break all three components at or around the same time, and I think my biggest hurdle for me was acknowledging and then dealing with my own fear and anxiety.

[pskovacs]

Diagram was formatted wrong...

[gak]

A worse combination here is a bottle of JD and the landscapers coming at 7am.

But everyone has different priorities.

[demt]

I'm stupid enough to find crack gives me direction ànd purpose with sum kind of elevated"normal viewpoint got to be careful not. To get carried away though!

[pushedbutton]

Bowel Cancer and Explosive Diarrhoea springs to mind.
Things can always be worse. Go outside, have a walk, smell the flowers, feel the rain on your face.

[plaamook]

Having loads of ideas and no time is pretty bad. It's kind of an inversion of what you suggest I guess.

[avasopht]

Ambition, extraordinary talent and an aspiration to change the world through music marred by pathological laziness, self pity and an unsurmountable fear of failure?!

[Oquasec]

The time spent worrying about that could be spent:
Relaxing
Learning more about theory
Learning more about CV/Gate [If you use programs like these]
Learning How to play some instruments
Playing some videogames or getting a workout in
Practicing scales, chords
Learning how to read sheet
Watching films & media
Reading books.
You'd be surprised how much you aren't procrastinating when doing all of the above.

[plaamook]

I once had malaria and pneumonia at the same time. That might have been worse actually.

I also once had a tremendously bad cold (snot, chest, fever, the whole thing) and sun burn that resulted in all the skin on my back forming little bubbles or plisters and pealing off. But I couldn't get it all off. It was Thailand just after the mosoon, cold, nothing would dry, my cloths smelled of mould, and my back smelled of rotting skin! That was def worse.

[Oquasec]

I once had malaria and pneumonia at the same time. That might have been worse actually.

I also once had a tremendously bad cold (snot, chest, fever, the whole thing) and sun burn that resulted in all the skin on my back forming little bubbles or plisters and pealing off. But I couldn't get it all off. It was Thailand just after the mosoon, cold, nothing would dry, my cloths smelled of mould, and my back smelled of rotting skin! That was def worse.

Yes get a pass for procrastination then