One of the biggest enemies we always have is procrastination. We just want to do something else, or there’s something that stops us from doing it. Either way, the regret in the end is still the same.
Inside the Roleplays and Story Games section, procrastination still finds its way to us. Making and planning RPs and SGs to, what’s most common, creation of characters. I, for one, am guilty for not sending in characters in time, but let me be just a hypocrite for once and tell you to stop procrastinating. Passing characters late can not only stall the running of the RP or SG, but also causes inactivity to the latter. There are many reasons as to why we delay passing our characters, but there will always be ways to prevent that!
Here are tips I have on how to stop procrastinating on creating RP Characters:
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Even though the RP you joined does not have a due date for character submission, never depend on that and set the due date yourself. Sometimes, the reason why we delay things is that we rely on the fact that we can never be scolded because there’s no due date and therefore, we have more time to create… which translates to procrastinate.
- A way to stop this habit is to, well, set a due date for yourself. You can also make a planner or a priority list where you can decide when you should start creating your character.
- Or you can create the character the day you reserved it!
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Calm Down. Don’t go crazy and reserve whatever you want and how many you want. Remember, your life isn’t all about RPing and you still have a lot of things on your plate no matter what. You’re not a robot; don’t overwork yourself.
- Assess your schedule. See what you have to do for the next days first, and organize it. Always do whatever is important and urgent. Only reserve characters to the extent of your capability, and make sure you have enough time and space for the process of creation. It’s better to have more space and time because since you have nothing else to do, you can make fun by creating characters.
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Think before you do. There are some characters that are complicated to sign up for (for example, characters that need extra details like secrets and what organization they’re part in). As much fun as it can be, you have to think if you can do it first before you go and reserve even at least one. Go easy on yourself. Sometimes, reaching for what’s fun can just bring you nothing but the opposite : D
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Inspire yourself by watching movies, reading books, etc. Sometimes, we’re just too uninspired to make the character and that’s why we delay creation. I’ve seen people experience this, and I—for one—have too! Inspiration is really important, because it brings the fire of passion and motivation back to me so that I can create what I need to.
- I inspire myself with music. Music is a great thing to go to when you want inspiration. Depending on the type of character you make, you can choose the genre to hear and you can go over the whole music industry for that. I always imagine scenarios in my head, and that alone can spark inspiration!
- In the same sense, watch movies or TV shows. Probably the best way to get inspiration is to observe other characters.
- Or observe and contemplate real-life people! It’s always effective for me, and you should try it too. Observe the people around you and think through if they could make interesting characters.
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Remember RPing is fun and not an obligation. In the end, no matter what, it’s not your greatest priority to make characters for an RP. Never ever pressure yourself into this, because sometimes that feeling is why you delay your characters.
So, @RPers, that’s all that I have for now! I hope this helps you in some way. If you have any more tips, make sure to leave them here 