Now, a vital part of any plan is:

2. THE LIST.

Projects, goals, time frame: get it all in perspective, then we can really focus. I'll get down to that immediately, as soon as I've made a cup of tea.

And it's worked, because by making a list, I've realised that I'm not using my time economically. I should have made the list in the morning. So, that 's what goes at the top of the list: Make List In Morning. Excellent, now we're raring to go. Actually, it might have been a bit of a mistake to have lunch early. I'm feeling a bit bloated. That might be the wheat in the sandwich. I've been meaning to give up wheat, and see if it makes a difference. Better put that on the list. Meanwhile, it's probably best to have a quick nap, so that I can be really fresh for the afternoon's work. See you shortly.

Ah, wonderful. Batteries completely re-charged. I just need a quick walk around the block to get some fresh air and wake up properly...

Now, the first thing to remember is that preparation is vital. The following tips work for me, and I suspect you'll find them helpful, too:

3. FRESH PAPER, SHARP PENCILS.

I can't begin work without a good supply of fresh, clean paper and sharp pencils. Not that I actually write with pencils and paper. I use a computer like everyone else. But I still need the pencils. Seven of them. They've got to be sharp, and they've all got to be exactly the same length. Which is harder than it sounds, even when you use a micrometer gauge. Some people might say I'm obsessive about it. They're the same people who say I'm vindictive. But I know who they are. I know their names, and I know where they live.

4. FANTASIZING.

Fantasizing is a natural part of the creative process. Some people call it daydreaming. But there's nothing wrong with daydreaming, despite what some ignorant biology teachers may say to sensitive young boys who happen to find it more profitable to look out of the window and imagine what it's like to be Superman than listen to some boring stuff about frogs. Nowadays, those crass, ginger-haired teachers with their repulsive little beard would never be allowed to inflict corporal punishment on a boy for doing that. What if that boy, now an adult, hunted them down, and found them, now old and helpless, and whacked them on the backside with a folded Bunsen burner tube? But the trick is to harness your fantasies, and to consciously shape and direct them so that they can benefit your work - for example, that screenplay you're writing. Here's what I do: as soon as I get an idea, before I even map out the narrative structure, or position the little white index cards around my desk, or reorganise the file structure in my computer, or even sharpen my pencils, I write my acceptance speech for the awards which the script will eventually win. This always puts me in a great mood. Remember, acceptance speeches aren't just for thanking people. By all means, thank the visionary person who eventually recognised the merit of your work. But you can also mention the short-sighted producers, publishers, editors and script readers who rejected it out of hand. The global television audience will be amused to learn that the producer wears a hairpiece, that the publisher has poor personal hygiene, and that the script reader used to be a man. If you want, you can also mention that your smug, pompous brother-in-law's marriage is falling apart.

5. USING YOUR TIME WISELY.

Unfortunately, there is now no time to complete this section. Of course, if a writer's partner has any real understanding of the creative process, instead of asking how, exactly, going for walks and looking out of the window can be classed as 'work', she wouldn't expect him to interrupt his writing to go and pick up their youngest child from school. But if she's in full time employment with a 'proper' job, the writer can sometimes find his arguments falling on deaf ears, especially when she comes home to find him still in his pyjamas. However, the important thing is that we are now fully prepared to take on and defeat the creeping menace of procrastination. Starting tomorrow.

Paul Bassett Davies is a writer and director of Euroscript.