So I was supposed to write about dealing with distractions in writing today. How to stay focused and accomplish goals. I know this because I found this handy tool in my email last week, a template for creating a content calendar. I have thoroughly enjoyed planning out my content, deciding what I was going to write about each day, researching keywords, and pumping myself up to get these blog posts done on time.
Only today I thought it was Friday, so while I worked on housework, I also worked on Friday’s article. Then this evening, as I sat down and finished my Friday article, I planned how I was going to catch up on my research so I wouldn’t work late on a Friday night. However, I discovered it is only Thursday, and I haven’t even started the article I was planning to write for Thursday. I was, I guess you could say, distracted.
If you remember back a couple of weeks ago, I had a plan to write 365 blog posts this year. This template from Freelance Writing has come in handy to plan out what I want to write about and keep me motivated. Motivation is so important, especially when you are starting. No one is looking over your shoulder or emailing you to make sure you turn in assignments on time. I could easily have just posted tomorrow’s post today and let this one slide. I am accountable only to myself.
However, I decided that this is an important topic and this, what happened today, goes along with handling distractions.
See, we are looking forward to that massive winter storm that, according to our news reporters, will hit every state except for North Dakota. Suddenly, I was wondering why I didn’t move there this summer when we moved. But I digress, see I am distracted again.
This post, how to deal with distractions, comes on a perfect day, as I am distracted, worried about whether my husband will make it home (he’s been working an hour and a half away and staying in town during the week) I am worried about my pipes freezing, and keeping my children warm. I have had a lot to keep myself distracted this week, so now it is the perfect time to talk about how to avoid distractions.
So, as I mentioned, I received this outstanding template from a freelancing website. It works with Google Sheets, and I tweaked it a bit because I don’t hire out my writing. Instead of who is supposed to write it, I changed it to a blog, and then I assigned topics and title names for articles every day, each week through January. It has helped me decide Thursdays will be for my creative writing blog and on Fridays I will write about something else.
So what do you do when you find yourself distracted? I have found that when things are distracting; it helps to step away from the computer for a few moments. Take a short walk, meditate, or do some breathing exercises. Recenter my mind so that I can focus on my job.
I also turn my phone on Do Not Disturb during my normal writing hours. If I am planning on writing from noon to three pm, then my phone goes automatically to voicemail, and all of my notifications are silenced. I do this so that I am not tempted to respond to emails, messages, or phone calls when I am supposed to be writing.
Another option that works for many people is to turn off the Wi-Fi or internet service so that you are writing without being sucked into social media or down some searching rabbit hole. If you don’t want to turn off your Wi-Fi, you can set a timer to remind you to turn off the search engine part of your brain and return to the writing part of your brain.
If you are like me, then you probably cannot work in silence. I think my issue comes from being the youngest of five children and having six children at home. I need an almost constant noise in the background to write. I prefer to stream movies or television shows that I have seen so many times that I could tell you verbatim every line in it. However, for others, that kind of noise is distracting and so they choose to play music specifically instrumental music that doesn’t include words to not distract from the writing.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what you need to do to stay focused as long as you find what works best for you and keep at it. Writing is very rewarding. However, there isn’t anyone who will look over your shoulder and tell you to get back to work. Figure out how to keep from getting distracted, and stay motivated so that you can succeed. It is important to give yourself grace, though. If you find you are having a rough day or even a rough week, give yourself a break, give yourself grace, and try again to stay focused and avoid distractions.
What have you found as the best ways to avoid distractions while you are writing? Share your tips below and let’s cheer each other on.
