"By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination."
--Christopher Columbus
For the past few weeks I've been fighting to keep focused on my writing despite a growing list of HUGE things weighing on my mind. So I did a bit of research on distractions and found this very interesting video: Multi-Tasking and the Distracted Mind . If you're interested in how the brain works and how social media affects your ability to remember things, you'll enjoy this 20 minute lively and amusing presentation.
After watching the video, I knew I needed to make some changes in my writing routine. First I must break my tweeting while writing habit. This is the one distraction I can control. Second, I need to return to my morning pages (which I learned from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way) As for all the other things playing tug-of-war with my mind, they will hopefully resolve themselves within a few months. I must be patient.
So what do you do when a distracted mind inhibits your writing?
This is a tough one for me, as I'm a self-proclaimed ADD writer.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to Tweet, (and now) FB post, or blog first. Then, I give myself a "Ready, Set, Go!" and turn off all Internet stuff. I take my phone, which alerts me of all social media with a Bewitched "Tinkle, tinkle" notification, and hide it in my bedroom, under the covers, far away from the computer room.
It's not until I've written something for a complete 2 hours, that I allow myself to check back in. The hours are sometimes broken up, but retrieving my phone and social media alerts is my reward for a job well done. Now, my MIA on the social media sites may not win me any kudos with my peeps, BUT, it does get the words on the screen.
I find Tweeting while writing is extremely distracting for me.
You have a great plan. I need to incorporate some of those ideas. ^_^
DeleteThanks so much for the great link! Writing with a timer is my personal means for coping with distraction. I have my watch on a 20-minute continual countdown. I can only check email, Facebook, or do doodly things after the beeper goes off. It seems to work -- trust me, I'd be doing doodly things after only 30 seconds of pen to page.
ReplyDeleteIt's the internal distractions that are killing me right now. I need a mute button for my brain!
DeleteWelcome Home!
This is great, Angelina, thanks for the video! I will tweet your post :-).
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you might like yoga as a writer's tool? There's a great yoga-to-writing in ten minutes routine that I learned from the guy who invented it (writer and yogi, Jeffrey Davis). I posted on it, if you're interested: http://tinyurl.com/7sa8jou
Thanks, Linda.
DeleteI get crappy Internet reception in my writing room. Hoorah. So like Candy Lynn, I leave my phone in my bedroom and can check in during bathroom breaks. Internet and writing don't mix for me. I actually went and met some writer friends last weekend at a local bookstore to write - it had fast Wifi - and though I did watch some muted Youtube videos for research, I wrote not one word.
ReplyDeleteOH, and walks are very helpful for refocus.
DeleteI've tried coffee shop writing a few times and have pretty much failed. Except for people-watching. Real good at that. ^_^
DeleteI find morning pages are the best thing for me when I need to empty my brain of competing thoughts/distractions.
ReplyDeleteOther things that help me stay focused: like Candilynn, I like to do twitter/FB/blogs first -- sort of to get it out of my system, I guess! -- and then settle down to write. But I often give in to twitter and have tweetdeck open when I'm writing. Not good! Also, like JRo said, walks are great for refocusing. Story-things often wander freely in my head when I'm walking, so then when I sit down to write, I'm quite eager to do so. Doesn't always work that way, for sure, but it can help! and finally, sometimes changing locations works wonders for tricking my brain into paying attention to what it's supposed to -- I get away from the desk and work on the couch for a while.
I've tricked the brain by moving from one part of the house to another, too. ^_^
DeleteStarting first thing helps me, too. If I'm having trouble focusing, going to a coffeehouse can help me feel like I'm clocked in.
ReplyDeleteI'm still on my blog break, but I wanted to visit and say hi! :)
Thanks for stopping by, Dawn. Hope you're having a fabulous summer. ^_^
DeleteI am so ADD, I need to have no internet access, a closed door, headphones firmly in place and an hour's worth of instrumentals to keep my focus while writing. The pull of internet videos and webcomics is a constant distraction.
ReplyDeleteI wish I were that disciplined. ^_^
DeleteI read blogs. It takes a while to get through all the blogs I follow, so it's quite a distraction from my writing. lol
ReplyDeleteThere is always so much on my mind, it is often difficult to keep focused. I do go to the library on the weekend so I'm not worried about the things that need to be done around the house while I'm writing.
I've never tried writing at the library. Maybe I should do that sometime. ^_^
DeleteWhen I start allowing distractions, I have to reassert my writing schedule and I have to turn off the internet.
ReplyDeleteIt's the internal distractions that get me the worst. I haven't figured out how to turn those off.
DeleteTo protect my writing time/ working time, I've had to take some serious measures. My paralegal work requires me to do research over the internet all the time, so I decided to install the Leechblock extension on my Firefox browser to block off the most distracting sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, during specific times of the work day. I've done the same during my designated writing time each day.
ReplyDeleteGetting back to my morning pages should help me out too.
The morning pages help me download all the craziness from my mind. ^_^
DeleteI'm listening to the link right now! Usually I go for a walk and then my brain clears. Great link, thanks!
ReplyDelete