How to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is something that everyone suffers from, whether it is while writing, studying or just a general day job. Procrastination is when you do something instead of the task that you are meant to do. This “something” is not usually important and tends to be a way to waste time. However, there are ways to beat procrastination quickly.

Set Times to Browse for Fun

The first thing to do is set regular breaks from work or study. These breaks can be to do whatever you want, whether it is to step away from the computer for some time or to just check Facebook, Twitter and any other social media accounts that you have. This will give you the chance to do tasks that you would usually do during procrastination on a regular basis without feeling like you are meant to be doing something else.

I tend to set it so that after doing work for each client I will reward myself with a break. The length of time I give myself and the task that I do will depend on the length of time that I have spent on work for a client.

Set Regular Breaks

As well as giving yourself time to do stuff for fun, it is also important to take breaks regularly. For those who sit at the computer for work, it is important to get up and get away from the computer every 20 minutes or so; personally, I have a break every 30 minutes to give my eyes a rest. This does not need to be for long. Just a trip to the restroom or to make a cup of tea will do wonders! You will also feel refreshed and ready to get on with work.

You will need to set a lunch break and stick to that. Try to stay away from the desk on your lunch break too so that you actually feel like you have had some time away. I set an hour for my lunch and 30 minutes of that is always away from the computer so that I can eat in piece. If the sun is out, I will sit outside to eat my lunch; if not, then I will sit at the kitchen table. The other 30 minutes is often on the computer but I am usually chatting to friends abroad as this is the only time that we can talk due to time differences.

Make Deadlines to Stick To

I often find that if I have a deadline, I am more likely to get on with the work. There are times that clients will not set a specific deadline and just say “no rush”. I ensure that I set a deadline for this work; otherwise I know that I will just put it off for the next day and the day after that because I want to do something else.

Set deadlines that you know you will be able to stick to. Do not agree to too much at one go and consider the amount of hours that you want to work for and the amount of time that it will take you to write certain pieces. I know that usually it will take me about half an hour to write a 500 word article and proofread it. However, I can cut that time down to as little as 10 to 15 minutes if I am writing on a topic that I already know about since I will not have to do any research.

Avoid Pushing Yourself Too Much

This slightly links in with setting deadlines. When it comes to working for yourself or studying, you need to avoid doing too much. This includes spending too long at the computer to complete long assignments and agreeing to take on too much in a short space of time. All of this will put too much pressure on you and will lead to you looking for other things to do instead.

Set Regular Working Days

Working freelance will sometimes mean working strange hours and not the general 9-5 but it is important to set regular working days as much as possible. Make sure you give yourself at least one day off a week and only work the evenings and nights if you really have to. I refuse to work past 6pm now and will not work Sundays because I have learnt the hard way to not burn myself out. If there is an emergency with a client, I will sometimes work after 6pm but only if it will take a short amount of time; I like to be able to spend time with my partner and shortly a baby will take priority.

Because I am studying too, I generally take Saturdays and Sundays off (once I return to full-time work). This gives me the time to do my assessments and study for my degree, which I am doing through distance learning. However, there are times that I will work on a Saturday if a client really needs it; many understand that weekends are days to relax though.

Procrastinating will affect everyone at some point. I still find myself doing it even though I know the ways to stop it. The majority of the time I procrastinate because I am writing something that I do not enjoy or because I have spent too long at the computer. If you know the reasons, it is often much easier to avoid or to work on but following the above tips will also help you.

The Letter U

The letter U is the 21^st letter in the alphabet and is arguably the last vowel. It is based on the Semitic alphabet and the letter Waw, which was originally the letter Y. However, the V was then formed and then the U came from that.

The letter U has one look, whether it is the lower case or the upper case letter. This is very similar to the letter V but is curled at the bottom, instead of pointed. The U and V were commonly switched around during the Middle Ages but is something that has developed with the sound over time. By the 16^th century, the U became the vowel. However, the upper case U was not recognized or accepte to be a letter for many years.

The U is commonly used with other vowels around, depending on the English language that you are using. The suffix OUS is common with the UK English but the U is commonly missed out when it comes to the US English. This is also common with other words such as favorite versus favourite and labor versus labour.

Like all of the other vowels in the alphabet, the U is only worth one point. This is something that is not worth playing on a bonus tile, unless you really have to.

How to Get Over Writer's Block

Writer’s block affects all writers at some point in their lives and this is a problem, especially when it comes to making money online with freelance writing. There are times that writer’s block will happen for a reason – maybe you are pushing yourself too hard or you have simply run out of things to say. However, there are times that it happens without a known reason. The good news is that there are steps to take to get over writer’s block and get on with your online writing.

Why Are You Writing?

The first thing to ask yourself when it comes to writer’s block is why you are writing. Are you doing this because you love writing? Is it because you want to earn money online? The chances are that your reason for writing is the reason behind your block. Those who are simply writing to make money will lose the enjoyment and the brain will tell you that it does not want to do it anymore. To get over writer’s block, you will need to start writing for fun again.

What do I do?

I make a habit of writing for fun on a regular basis. I will write for no profit at all and usually work on pieces that simply will never work for money for various reasons. This helps me to continue to write without the pressure of earning money all the time. Of course, there are still times that I will run into writer’s block as the reason for writing is not always the reason for the block.

Take a Break from Writing Altogether

You may be working too hard or writing too much. Your body and brain will need time to refocus and relax and it will tell you this by giving you writer’s block. This is a clear sign to take a break from your writing and get on with something else. You could opt for doing some exercise, cooking a meal or even organizing your desk.

What do I do?

There have been times when I have pushed myself so much in a day that the next day I do not want to work. I will not even want to look at the computer screen! When it comes to this, I will go for a walk outside, spend some time with my partner – if he has the time off – or just do something fun. After a day off, I soon find that I can get back to work and continue the rest of the week as planned.

Stop Making Your Characters Do Something They Do Not Want

If you are writing fiction and run into a writer’s block, there are chances that you are making your characters do something that they simple do not want to do. This sounds strange when you first hear it but it is true. Characters take on personalities of their own and when you start forcing them to do something, you run into a block. This may be because it is out of character for the person you are writing about or the scene just is not realistic.

What do I do?

I take a step back from the scene and listen to my characters. Sometimes they will tell me exactly what they want to do and I work that into the story. Other times, it will take some time for them to tell me what they want to do. I will need to put the piece to one side and wait for them. It does not always work to wait for the characters to say something to me but nine times out of ten, a week later I will be back on with my piece of fiction and the story will be going in a direction that I never considered in the first place.

Writer’s block is annoying but it is important to not worry too much about it. The more you worry, the more your online writing, your finances and you will be affected negatively. If you struggle to get past your block, take a step back from the computer and do something fun. Once your brain has recharged, you will soon find that you are ready to get back to the computer and start writing again.

The Letter T

The letter T is the twentieth letter in the alphabet. The modern T hails from the Phoenician letter 'Taw'. It has retained its basic shape fairly well over the ages. It is the second most common letter in the alphabet and is the most common consonant.

The letter T can have a long or a short sound, depending on the other letters surrounding it. It can also have a Th sound when a H is added afterwards. This can sometimes be added into other words such as turning Ere into There.

T is the most common consonant in the English language, and is hence well represented in the Scrabble letter pouch with six T-tiles. It is a minimum score letter yielding only 1 point, but since is so common in the language it is a handy letter often needed to form big words with other higher scored letters.

It is not generally worth using the letter T on any bonus tiles, where you can avoid it because you will not get the best points for it. T is one of the safest letters to have left over in the end, since it is less likely to cause too many problems.

The Letter S

The letter S is the 19^th letter in the English alphabet and is based on the Phoenician letter Shin, which is depicted as a W. The letter was adapted by the Ancient Greeks and became the letter Sigma. Originally the sound was based on the sh sound but the Greeks had no need for this sound, which is when the letter Sigma was created and the S sound was developed.

The letter S has just one look to it, whether it is in the upper case or the lower case for. It is a simple letter and something that is one of the easiest to learn. The letter is also one of the easiest to use, as it can usually be added to the end of words to create the plural form. This is something worth looking into when it comes to using the letter in a game of scrabble.

However, up until the 15^th century, there was another denotation for the long S, which was a letter that looked similar to an r. This was also commonly used for the lower case S and the symbol that we know for the letter was just for the upper case version. This changed when printing became popular because the staff-like r symbol was difficult to do.

The German language commonly has an “ss” in some words but this is commonly denoted as a strange B symbol. This often gives the words a Z sound.

In the English language, the S is the third most commonly used consonant and the seventh most common letter in the whole alphabet. This leads to the four S’s in a game of scrabble only yielding one point each. This means that it is not usually worth putting the letter on a bonus tile unless you have no other options.