If you’ve ever felt the crushing weight of wanting to start something… but just not doing it — you’re not alone. Turns out, some of history’s most brilliant minds have gone to wildly creative lengths to get stuff done. Here are five gloriously strange examples of procrastination hacks that actually worked.

1. Victor Hugo: Banned His Own Clothes

By the summer of 1830, Victor Hugo was facing an impossible deadline. Twelve months earlier, he had agreed to write The Hunchback of Notre Dame — but instead spent the year entertaining guests and avoiding the task. Frustrated, his publisher gave him just six months to finish the manuscript.

So Hugo devised a drastic plan. He locked away all his clothes, leaving himself only a large shawl to wear. With nothing suitable to leave the house in, he stayed indoors and wrote furiously through the autumn and winter.

It worked. Hugo met his deadline — and even delivered the book two weeks early. The Hunchback of Notre Dame was published on 14 January 1831.

A wardrobe-based productivity trap? Genius.

2. Douglas Adams: Editor on Lockdown Duty

The author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was so famously avoidant that his publisher once moved in with him. Sitting in his hotel room, line by line, they made sure every word got written. Extreme? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.

3. Demosthenes: Haircut with Consequences

The Greek orator wanted to write. He also wanted to leave the house. So he shaved off half his hair — rendering himself too embarrassed to be seen in public. It gave him no option but to stay home and work. A bold look with a purpose.

4. Herman Melville: Desk, Meet Chain

Legend has it that Melville’s wife once chained him to his desk so he’d finally finish Moby-Dick. We’re not saying that’s a healthy relationship dynamic — but we are saying it worked. Sometimes, extreme structure can be the thing that sets you free.

5. Franz Kafka: Burn It All?

Kafka asked his friend Max Brod to burn his unfinished work after his death. Knowing that everything could be destroyed lit a fire under him to write — not for the world, but for himself. High-stakes motivation, but it kept his pen moving.

These stories are weird, wonderful and wildly relatable for anyone whose brain doesn’t always cooperate on command. If that’s you — if you’ve got 100 tabs open (mentally or literally) and no idea where to start — we get it.

At Augmentive, we’re here to help you move from knowing your brain works differently… to knowing exactly what to do about it. That means fast, expert-led assessments for ADHD and autism — plus personalised treatment, therapy, coaching, and strategies built to work with your mind, not against it.

Let’s turn understanding into action.

👉 Get started with an assessment – and finally take that first step.