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One of the most common challenges writers face is procrastination. Since procrastination can destroy freelance writing careers, even before they begin, here are five tips which will help you to write more.

1. Plan your writing in advance

Planning is vital to your writing success. One of the most useful things you can do for a productive week of writing is to plan your writing on Sunday evening.

Here's what I do.

On Sunday, I list all the articles I intend to write in the following week in broad categories. These articles include articles I've been commissioned to write, as well as articles which I'm writing for my own websites. I then create titles from all the articles, and list three points under each article -- the three points are my article outline.

I also list all the other writing I intend to do during the week.

Then I transfer those lists to appropriate days, so I always know what I'm writing.

2. Write daily, and push yourself to write more

Of course, all your planning is worthless if you don't make a commitment to write daily. Writing daily is just a habit. You need to train yourself to write as soon as you sit down at your computer.

You do that by deciding that that is what you will do. The next step will help you with that.

3. Recognize mind states, and learn how to change your mind state at will

Remember a time when you were writing well -- when you were writing in a state of flow.

When you're writing in a state of flow, you are focused solely on the writing. You lose track of time. Your concentration is enormous yet also effortless.

I'm sure that you've had an experience of this particular mind state. Such mind states are common in children, but many adults forget how to access them.

If you've never experienced this particular mind state in writing, then I'm sure you've experienced a similar state when you were performing some other activity. Perhaps it was swimming, walking, or dancing, or even listening to music.

Try to recreate a mind state in which you are completely relaxed and yet completely focused. This is the optimal state in which to write.

4. Learn relaxation techniques to develop focus

Spend 10-20 minutes a day using relaxation techniques. This time is not wasted time. It helps you to develop concentration and focus while you're writing.

5. Write for yourself first

Writing is creativity. The creative part of your brain is very childlike. One way to enlist its cooperation in your writing, is to make writing enjoyable.

This is why you should always do some writing which is strictly for yourself. That is, writing for which you won't necessarily be paid: writing which you're doing for your own personal enjoyment.

Some writers write journals. Other writers work on a novel which may never be published. It's just writing that they do for their own personal enjoyment to satisfy their creative spirit.

So there you have five tips which will help you to stop procrastinating and write more.