Timed exercises for dealing with drawing procrastination

I always find that setting a time for myself to complete a task helps me get past my initial resistance. It also applies to creative work. I recently found an interesting exercise in the book Whatcha Mean, What’s a Zine? that helps generate ideas for zines, and I've been using it to brainstorm images for my memoir. The exercise is as follows: for one minute, draw one panel, then move on to the next, and so on. The goal is to draw for an hour and complete sixty panels. You will almost certainly end up with a lot of useless ideas, but the few good ones will allow you to advance your project.

This is how I approach this exercise:

I begin by preparing the panels. For rough sketches, I typically use newsprint paper and a stencil. I play some relaxing music while I prepare the paper. I draw all the frames before the actual drawing session to get in the mood, but it is perfectly fine to draw one frame at a time.

Now comes the fun part: drawing. I keep a timer on hand to count one minute each time, however, I give myself extra time to finish a sketch before moving to the next one. I allow myself to quickly type phrases into a browser to find reference images if necessary. At first, sketching sixty small drawings may seem dauting and tedious, but focusing on one panel at a time and staying in the present moment makes it easier. The sense of accomplishment at the end will be well worth it. As I run out of ideas, the final panels include more text or questions to examine later. I usually finish about fifty panels in sixty minutes.

Afterward, I experience both creative exhaustion and joy. I go over my sketches the following day or the next time I approach my drawing project to decide which ideas I want to expand on. Thanks to the exercise, l have a great place to start and no more excuses about not knowing what to draw next.