Just came across this quote and although it's perhaps a little bit it made me think of this thread and the whole procrastination problem:
"Most of what we think and read about discipline only increases our resistance. 'Discipline' usually means making ourselves do some duty, grit our teeth, force ourselves to do what we don't want to do. A disciplined writer, we are told (or we tell ourselves) writes every day, writes X number of hours a day or X number of pages or paragraphs a day. . . .
The wrong kind of 'discipline' damages the creative process. The deepest, truest discipline has its roots in the ancient wisdom of the Hebrew prophet Zechariah: "Not by might, not by power, but by . . . spirit." . . .
To be disciplined as a writer you need a compassionate and welcoming attitude toward your own work, and you need the support of others who value and call forth your writing. A huge part of leading a disciplined writing life is having other people in your life who care about your writing, want it, believe in it, and encourage it"
(Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and With Others. Oxford University Press, 2003)
I think she might have hit the procrastination nail on the head there: the perfectionism and sense of forcing ourselves to do it that creates a huge resistance to getting started, and this idea of having a "compassionate and welcoming attitude toward your own work" plus - ideally - the support of others who value your work (this is where a great tutor comes in handy!).
Question is, how the hell do you create a compassionate and welcoming attitude to your own work in the first place 