Overcoming Writing Distractions

Whether you’re writing an article, report, book, or song, there are always sources of distraction clamoring desperately for your attention. What are your five biggest distractions?

Here are five (in no particular order) that many writers struggle with:

• Social media and the Internet
• Television
• Children and family
• Reading other books, articles, blogs, etc.
• Music that makes you want to sing and dance

Suggestions to counter the temptation from these sources:

Social Media, Television, and the Internet

When trying to write, steer clear of your apps and devices that will lure you into the world of social media and entertainment. Turn off your notification on your devices, and you may have to use an app restrictor like Apple’s Focus or Screen Time that will restrict your access to certain apps and the Internet and even place limits on which contacts can communicate with you and how.

Do you turn on the television because you crave noise while working? If so, you need to turn it on to a channel you can passively engage with, as though it’s not even there. Don’t set it to a channel you’re actually interested in, or if you have access to music channels, change it to a soothing station that plays tracks that help you focus. Maybe that’s jazz, classical, instrumentals, or sounds of nature.

If you need to use the Internet to research something, you must discipline yourself to not click on any notification or clickbait that will steer you away from the topic you are researching. Get what you need, and then get off the Internet.

Music

Since we mentioned the types of music channels to tune to if you feel the need to have your television on, let’s explore why the type of music is important. Suppose you love classic rock or hip hop, and you know that when one of your favorite songs comes on, you can’t help but jump up and start singing and find yourself in an air guitar performance of a lifetime. In that case, that is why you need to choose music that you enjoy that instead keeps you focused on writing and not dancing.

Children and Family

It’s imperative that you set some healthy boundaries with your loved ones. With your children, especially the little ones, you may need to creatively set a buffer zone where they learn that you need the least amount of distractions and requests during that time. You could say, “Mommy/Daddy is writing a new [fill-in-the-blank], and I need to focus and finish my work. Will you help Mommy/Daddy get my work done? Great. I’m setting the timer for two hours, and for the two hours, I need you to watch this movie, or [fill-in-the-blank], and when the timer goes off, we will do something fun. What fun thing should we do? Should we go outside and play? Do an art project? Or [fill-in-the-blank]?”

Adults

With the adults in your life, it’s about getting them conditioned to understand that when you say, “Hey, I’m about to write for a few hours,” they understand you’re not talking about writing a grocery list or a list of every Crayola crayon color you can recall from childhood. When you say that you’re working, they need to understand that for the X number of hours that you are at the kitchen table, on the balcony, or in your office, you don’t want them to call or text you for anything that isn’t life-threatening. That means they aren’t asking you to watch something they saw on the television or the Internet or an article they just read. All of those things can wait until after your writing session. The book they’re reading will still be there when you’re done working. Their ideas about political issues, the economy, draft picks for their favorite team, or their opinions about the ruthless nature of a reality TV star personality  — can wait until you’re done writing.

Reading Other Books, Blogs, and Articles

Repeat after us, “Put it down, don’t click on it, just say no.” If the books, blogs, and articles are affiliated with your writing, they need to be viewed during your research time and not your writing time. If you run across these resources while you’re writing, simply note them, and keep focused on writing. You can come back to the book, blog, and articles. It is nearly impossible to retrieve a thought you had and didn’t get to type or write down before you followed a distraction into the abyss.

We hope these suggestions help you or someone you know. If you have other suggestions, please feel free to share them!

~ D.O.M.E. Life Publishing