Great originals are great procrastinators, but they don’t skip planning altogether. They procrastinate strategically, making gradual progress by testing and refining different possibilities.

‘Procrastination has at least two characteristics. It means putting off a difficult, delayable, important task – an act with distant, perhaps doubtful rewards (as in writing) – in favour of something easier, quicker, and less anxiety-provoking (for example, cleaning a desk before writing).’