I'll start writing once I've done the ironing or the Noble Art of Procrastinating
Rearrange my pens in size order, wipe my desk, write a "thank you" letter, pay my credit card bill, loaf through Amazon... all things I have done rather than writing a chapter of my thesis. Displacement activities are myriad, I aways think that the less enticing a task is, the more you can justify doing it instead of your work. The old "well I'm not enjoying it so it isn't really wasting time" justification. Ideas: Make a realistic commitment. There is not point saying you will write an entire essay before dinner if you know in your heart of hearts that what you are really going to do is spend half an hour reading a magazine and half an hour in a blind panic meaning that you start writing fifteen minutes before you are set to eat. Break down your task into "chunks" - list each section on a piece of paper. Strike off items on your list as you write. Start at a time you know you can work; I like writing late at night and any work I produce