LESSON FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 14TH, 2022
EXTERNAL TIPS TO AVOID DISTRACTION
Irene S. Roth
EXTERNAL TIPS TO AVOID DISTRACTION
Irene S. Roth
This week, we will be focusing on the external ways that we get distracted.
I hope that you spend some time reflecting on this lesson.
Distraction is one of the main reasons why writers don’t get as much done as they could during their writing time. It contributes to at least part of why we don’t complete as many manuscripts as we would like.
So, please take some time to read this lesson through. Then reflect on which of the following distractors you are most prone to.
Take care, and Happy Writing!
Irene Roth
Don’t Respond to Missives
Many writers use their writing time for many other things that they should not do.
For instance, many writers answer email and open snail mail. They write notes and memos and they send other types of communications to people.
Set a time to deal with missives. You may want to do that before you write or afterwards. But the important thing to remember is don’t multi-task while writing.
Other writers are trying to determine what to do during their hour or two of writing. By the time they start writing, they wasted a lot of time. This is not necessary with a bit of planning and reflecting.
The important thing for writers to remember is that during their writing time, they should do nothing but write. When you write, you should merely focus on the project that you are working on and nothing else.
Therefore, you should set writing goals for the next day BEFORE you sit down to write. Then ideally when you come into your office to write, you will do nothing but write. You won’t be fidgeting through files either on your desk or on your computer. You will simply sit down, open your document on the computer, and get to work.
The bad news is that there are so many ways to waste time when you get to your desk. We are all so distracted and our mind is everywhere except here. To be most efficient and productive, you must avoid these external distractors and points of uncertainty as much as possible.
The most efficient writers know what they will be doing. And when they come into their office to write, they simply sit down and write. That is a recipe for success and productivity for writers.
Write Every Day
It is important for all writers to write every day in order to be most successful. This takes a bit of planning and getting your family and friends use to the time you will be devoting to your writing.
Writers have to learn to get into the habit of writing. Habits are things we learn to do through repetition and eventually do either unconsciously or with very little effort. First we form habits and then they form us. We are what we repeatedly do. Don’t be deceived into thinking that you just can’t help what you do, because the truth is that you can do or not do anything if you really want to.
One of the chief ingredients of forming good habits and breaking bad ones is focusing on what you want to do and not on what you want to stop doing. For example, if you overeat and want to form balanced, healthy eating habits, don’t think about food all the time! Don’t read cookbooks that are filled with beautiful mouth-watering deserts but instead read a good book on nutrition that will educate you about how to make better choices in the future.
Similarly, if you want to write don’t focus on how hard it will be to write every day. Instead, read a good book on how you can form a habit of writing and read testimonials from other successful writers on what they do in order to be successful. Then emulate them as much as you can. This will help you to make better choices about your writing life.
When a writer writes, she will be getting into the habit of writing. This will be the case so strongly that she will feel that something is missing if she doesn’t write one day—especially on the day which was devoted to writing and completing projects that have been started.
There are many benefits to getting into the habit of writing most days. Here are a few such benefits:
- You will get a lot done;
- Writing will beget other writing;
- You won’t have to guess when to write—she will just know;
- Your family and friends will get use to the idea that you are writing and will give you the space to write;
- You will start identifying as a writer;
- You will enjoy writing;
- You will send out manuscripts and queries regularly;
- You will write manuscripts that you are proud of;
- You will be much more successful;
- You will start feeling confident.
Turn off Technological Devices
Some of us are in control of our technological gadgets. We only use them when we need to make our life better and more efficient. But many of us are controlled by the constant flashing lights, beeps, and rings of our technological devices. We check our iPods and cell phones constantly, sometimes as many as 200 times a day, and text a hundred or two hundred times a day. No wonder we feel scattered!
In addition, our mind and attention gets scattered and we can’t effectively focus on what we are doing at the moment because our minds are so busy and unfocused. After a while, we get into the habit of always being plugged in and never being able to focus. If this continues for a while, you won’t be able to focus. And this usually results in a lack of productivity.
Here are a few tips to avoid being controlled by your technological gadgets:
Take time outs
It is very important to create times when you are completely unplugged. Choose some definite times when you can be unplugged. This could be after dinner until bedtime, or first thing in the morning, or during other times of the day. Your ability to unplug as often as possible will give you the peace of mind you need to become more in control of your technological gadgets. This way, you will be able to form new habits with your technological devices.
Don’t get too attached to your gadgets
It is important to have a healthy respect for your gadgets but also to know when to set them aside. If we make our gadgets a part of every aspect of our lives, we will be enslaved to them and they won’t give us the freedom that they once promised. So, we have to reflect on the type of benefits we derive from our technological devices. Then we can decide to use our gadgets only for these parts of our lives and nothing else. Then we will be creating boundaries around the times that we use these gadgets.
Unplug often
The best way to approach our technological gadgets is to have them unplugged until we use them. If we stay in idle mode, chances are we will at some point feel compelled to use our devices by constantly checking them, listening to our messages, listening to the beeps, texting, and so on. How can we live our lives if we are plugged in all the time and we are living a scattered and unfocused life?
Thus, it is very important to unplug when we’re not using your gadgets. Don’t just leave your devices on--it is too alluring and tempting to keep checking in.
By taking these steps, you will be taking steps to control your technological gadgets. And this is absolutely important in a culture which keeps reiterating the necessity of being plugged in. And this is important to get some writing done and to avoid being distracted.
Part of us knows in our hearts that we don’t always need to be plugged in. But we need to bring to mind why these technological gadgets were invented in the first place. The original purpose why these devices were created was to make our lives better and much simpler. So, why complicate our lives by doing anything else?
Don’t Multi-Task
Do you multi-task a lot? If you do, is it hindering your overall productivity as a writer? Can you simply write without checking your email and cruising the internet all the time? Can you go into your office and close the door and just write without the drone of your technological devices in the background?
If you have a difficult time separating yourself from technology as you write, it can interfere with the creative process and slow down your overall writing productivity. But what is more, you won’t be writing good quality manuscripts. We all need written down outlines so that we could work towards writing the best manuscripts possible.
In addition, writers need solitude and times when they are not plugged in, even when they are not writing. This can be a time for writers to regroup, think and just BE. This is also important to gather your thoughts and to be your best. Good writing requires planning and thinking. And it is hard to think clearly when you are plugged in all the time.
It is also important for writers not to multi-task when they write. This means when you write, you should simply write. I realize that this sounds simplistic. But it is necessary to say the obvious sometimes so that writers can avoid certain pitfalls when they are writing. Multi-tasking is a disease that has taken over our lives, and we multi-task at all times.
The important thing to remember is that not ALL multi-tasking is bad. Some of it is okay. But one thing is absolutely certain; NEVER multi-task when you are writing. This will create a lot of gaps in your thinking and waste time as well.
Multi-tasking has become very addictive in our culture. People are in a constant state of motion and activity. No one, not even writers, have any patience any more to slow down and really enjoy what they are doing. Instead, they are always preoccupied with other things as they are doing more than one thing over and over again. This can be a very troubling trend for writers who need to quiet their mind in order to write their best manuscripts.
I find it interesting that some people believe that multi-tasking saves time and make us more efficient. Studies show that the exact opposite is the case. Multi-tasking wastes a lot of time. That is because our mind is meant to focus on one thing at a time. We are not really meant to focus on too many things at once. Our mind doesn’t function well if we throw too many things at it at once. Our mind becomes terribly distracted. None of this is conducive to producing good quality writing. So, we should try and avoid it.
Until next week!
Irene S. Roth
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