How to Not Procrastinate

Kind of an awkward title to this post, I know.  I found this on the LA Times blogs a couple of days ago:

Not writing?  There's an app for that

It's about an app, now available for iPad, called "Write or Die."  Depending on which setting you choose, things happen if you don't keep typing...from annoying noises to your words disappearing.  Or apparently plays the Nyan Cat theme.  (I wonder if it's the 24 hour version...)

That's one strategy.  The author of the blog post suggests that the reason for not writing is being too distracted by other things online.  I suppose this is a problem for some people.  It's not for me.  (By the way, why would you write on an iPad?  Would be a pain without an external keyboard, and then, you've basically recreated a less powerful laptop.)

Anyway, here's how I avoid procrastinating and/or writer's block:

1. Plot and outline in advance.  Then, I've already decided what happens next, and I just need to create the scene.  I've finally overcome my fear of writing poorly, knowing that I can fix things in revision (when it's often easier).
2. For first drafts, write on paper.  You actually make progress because it's not as easy to edit as you go.  And the computer is OFF.
3. For subsequent revisions, only have my word processor open, no Firefox (which happens to be my browser of choice), no iTunes, etc.  If this is difficult for you, unplug your router so you have no internet connection.  Turn your AirPort (or whatever it's called on PCs) off.
4. Eliminate distractions.  No television, no radio, no music.  If you must have music, pick something that's not distracting and/or that doesn't even have words.  I'm a fan of the all-quiet approach (well, all quiet except the dog licking stuff).
5. Set aside a time to write each day.  Only pick something you can commit to.  For me, it was 30 minutes a day on weekdays and 60 minutes on weekends and/or holidays.

I will admit, I haven't been doing so well with the synopsis, despite basically adhering to the rules above.  It's been a difficult week, for me, though.  I started P90X and I finally had to have one of my cats euthanized (not the one in the profile picture here or on Twitter).  She (the cat) got to the point where she couldn't even lift her head to vomit, it was a long decline but particularly steep this week.  I think her liver had finally started failing.  It was still the hardest decision I've ever had to make, and I'm still crying about it a day later.

Since I don't want to end on a downer, here's the 100 hour edition of Nyan Cat: