1. Open your practice journal and list out some things related to your songwriting that you’ve been procrastinating. Are there books you’ve been meaning to read? An open mic you’ve been meaning to play? An album you’ve been wanting to write?
2. For each of the items you listed, ask yourself: “Why have I been stalling?”
You may find yourself delaying because:
- You’re afraid you’re going to perform poorly and feel disappointed with yourself
- The material you’re learning is dry and tedious
- You’re daunted by the difficulty of what lies ahead, and overwhelmed by what you still need to learn
- You’re uncertain of what the next step is
3. List out some things you turn to when procrastinating — fun things that you enjoy, and use to distract yourself. My distractions of choice are web surfing and finding little chores around the house. What do you find yourself turning to when you’re putting things off? They’ll come in handy later…