9 Cheap and Creative Ways to Procrastinate and Get Inspired To Write

Photo courtesy of an untrained eye

Finally, you’ve made time to write. You sit in front of your computer. Or perhaps you open to a blank page in your journal. And then…nothing. So, you think, maybe I’ll check my email or Facebook. Or maybe, I’ll just turn on the TV for a bit. What you don’t do is actually write.

Procrastination. We all do it. Sometimes, the blank page is so intimidating and the creative process is so daunting that we’d rather clip our toenails, than actually engage in writing.

So, what to do? If you’re really not ready to write, then embrace procrastination. Unplug your computer, turn off your TV, and try engaging in some of these inexpensive and free ways to procrastinate that stimulate your creative brain.

1. Go to the library. Remember the public library? You can check out books and music and dvds, like, for free. Wander among stacks, read some titles, and pull one or two books from the shelves. Before you know it, you’ll be inspired to find a quiet corner and do what you do best: write.
2. Read great literature. While you’re at the library, go ahead and pick up some poetry by Emily Dickinson or Langston Hughes. Find a dusty copy of James Joyce’s Ulysses or Virginia Woolf’s The Waves. Check out Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina or pretend you’ll read War and Peace all the way through. Reading and enjoying the classics can remind you why you write in the first place.
3. Sketch, paint or color. Just because you’re not Michelangelo doesn’t mean you can’t buy a small sketchpad and draw. Or you could try using some watercolors or acrylics to paint a landscape. If all else fails, you can find or buy some crayons and color the way a child might, fascinated with the way cerulean or razzle dazzle rose or mountain meadow looks on a white page. Creating a masterpiece isn’t the point. Rather, let your imagination wander while you play with pens, pencils, crayons, or paint.
4. Go window shopping. Find a small curio shop or a great antique store or even a farmer’s market, and window shop until you drop. Make up a story about where that beat-up bureau came from or think of a way to describe that odd, little figurine. Take in the sights, sounds, and smells, and think how you might incorporate them into a poem. As an alternative, you can visit a dollar store or a flea market, and pick up one or two inexpensive items that inspire you. Not only will you have something to possibly write about, but as an added benefit, you’ll feel spoiled.
5. Put together a picture puzzle. Avoid those tempting 1000-pieces challenges, and instead buy a picture puzzle with 100 or 250 pieces. You can put these together in a relatively short amount of time. Stimulating your logical brain while creating something colorful and interesting is a great way to flex those creative muscles.
6. Make music. Maybe you have a dusty guitar or even a harmonica hidden away somewhere. Now’s the time to dig out that musical instrument your mother dreamed you’d master and make some noise…er, I mean, music. Don’t have an instrument? Not to worry. Pull out some pots, pans, and kitchen utensils and beat out a rhythm. Sure you’re not Jimi Hendricks or Mick Fleetwood, but again creating a masterpiece isn’t the point. Rather, playing around and really listening to the notes or to how a metal spoon sounds against a cast iron pan can inspire aural descriptions and images.
7. Listen to music. If you’re not keen on making your own music, then try listening to someone else’s. But don’t multi-task while you listen. Rather, find a quiet place, lie down, get comfortable, put in your earplugs to your iPod or MP3 player, and just listen. Feel how the music affects your body, and allow yourself to get carried away in the words and sounds. After a few songs, you’ll not only feel refreshed, but you might just discover something to write about.
8. Tidy up your writing space. Is your desk or study cluttered with books, papers, and an odd assortment of coffee cups and potato chip bags? Then, it may be time to clear the mess and clean until you can at least find the surface of your desk. I, for one, tend to like my clutter and have an inordinate ability to ignore it, but I’m always amazed how inviting a clean desk can be. Even if you like those stacks of papers or those books scattered haphazardly around on your desk, try organizing some. Then, wipe down your computer for dust, put all your pens back in their holder, and see if a little cleanliness inspires a few verses.
9. Take a walk. Like most accomplishments, great writing happens one metaphorical step at a time. Why not take some literal steps through the great outdoors? Visit a public park, take a hike in the woods, or just walk a couple of blocks in your neighborhood. While you’re walking, look up. See that sky? It’s as vast as your creative imagination. Now, look down. See your shoes moving along concrete or grass or mud? That’s progress. Look around. See the trees and flowers or the way the sun reflects on that brick building or your neighbor taking out the trash? Everything is a poem just waiting to be written.

What are your favorite, inspiring and inspired ways to procrastinate?