Sensory Tips for the Distractible Writer
By Therese Walsh | January 12, 2012 |
I am so distractible. Dealing with that aspect of myself is one of my greatest challenges as a writer. Though my doc has assured me that I do not have an adult version of ADD, I’ve wondered a time a two.
Being distractible can be caused by a whole slew of things—like genetics, parenthood, stress, and anxiety—but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything about it.
Minimize Visual Distractions
You know what distracts you best. Me? I’m easily distracted by notices popping up on my computer screen—telling me I have a new email, or a new comment to approve here at WU, or a new DM on Twitter. Because of course I want to go see, right away, what’s going on, what needs to be done—and I want to then do whatever that is.
This fix is simple enough: Turn all that stuff off. Turn it off, leave it off until you’ve met your goal for the day. If you need help, there are programs that can keep you off certain URLs (like Twitter) for the duration of your work session. Windows users, check out Nanny for Google Chome, LeechBlock for Mozilla, FocalFilter for all browsers, or a fee-based service like Rescue Time or Concentrate. Mac users, Vitamin R is for you.
An even more drastic step is to shut down your Internet connection completely—something our own Juliet Marillier has been known to try on occasion. You can do this by manually pulling the Internet cable from your computer, by turning off the Internet via the network connections setting, or by using a service like Freedom, which will apparently do it for you. I have yet to go there; I tend to like being able to do instant research if I need it, or buzz over to thesaurus.com if I’m in need of word bettering. That’s not to say I couldn’t benefit from these programs, because insta-research may just be a more cleverly disguised form of distraction for me. (My issues are never ending, I’m telling you.)
Sometimes the best strategy is to step completely away from your normal computer. Try this:
- Use an AlphaSmart or Neo. Kath and I have been singing the praises of the AlphaSmart since the beginning of Unboxed Time. (That was 2006, if you’re keeping track. ) More recently, Keith Cronin blogged about the AlphaSmart’s snappy younger brother, Neo. Whatever you call it, this sort of device—which strips the business down to a small screen and keyboard—doesn’t give you much breadth to screw off. That’s why it’s awesome. Not to mention it runs on batteries that last forEVER. Seriously, I’ve had my AlphaSmart since the beginning of Unboxed Time and replaced my batteries all of once. Truth.
- Grab a notebook and pencil. You remember those, I’m sure. I sorta love scrawling all over the page, drawing arrows from this chunk of text to that. I do not love having to translate this scrawl later on, when I have to type it into the computer, but I think my love outweighs my annoyance, so I keep doing it.(The example at right was taken from my recent editing. Imagine how much worse this might be with notebook paper and a first draft.)
- Go elsewhere. You, your laptop, your Neo, your pad and pencil, whatever. Pick it all up and out of the house with you. Go to the library. To a park. Sit on the curb. I don’t care. Just go. Be inspired by a new setting—but try not to be distracted by it. (I could never work at a Starbucks.)
- Work with friends. Sometimes I’ll sit with my kids when they’re doing their homework and feed off the tailwind of their young brainpower. Hey, whatever works. I’m unrepentant. I also love a good writers’ retreat, working side by side with friends. Even though we’re all slogging over our own personal paths, there’s a lot to be said for a houseful of writerly empathy and positive energy.
Maximize Visual Helpers
Lest you think I’m advocating going through life wearing blinders, I thought I’d better point out the flipside to watching where your eyes land. Taking some time to focus on things aside from your manuscript can be fueling as well. Do you have inspirational quotes taped to your desk? Knick-knacks that remind you of a character or a story goal? How about a word-count chart? Or Debbie Ohi’s Cautionary Comic For Writers? Spending a few mindful minutes with these things may help you keep your focus, remind you why you’re in this game and what you mean to accomplish. My favorite sticky note desk companion says simply “Olé. Show up,” a direct reminder of the most inspiring TED talk EVER on creativity, featuring Elizabeth Gilbert. Go, if you haven’t yet seen this. I’ll wait.
Of course there’s a real world out there, too, away from sticky notes near your desk—away from even (gasp!) your desk. Go out there and play sometimes. Look around. Be inspired by life. Your pages will breathe more easily for this in the end.
Minimize Auditory Distractions
Those pop-up boxes I mentioned in the previous section? They often come with auditory alerts. Silence those as well—on your computer and on your cell phone. (When I’m in the zone, I set my cell to only buzz at me when a call is coming through—in case it’s the school calling about a sick kiddo, something important.)
Avoid trying to work during known bustling hours in your house—when people are milling around, wondering about dinner, when someone’s blaring a football game in the other room, etc… And if you can’t avoid, then try this…
Maximize Auditory Helpers
One of the best investments I’ve ever made was to buy a pair of Audio-Technica “active noise-cancelling headphones.” These babies have the ability to hook into your iPod and play whatever (more on that in a sec), but best of all they come with a switch that almost seals out noises from the outside. I’m telling you, they work. Because of them, I’ve been able to focus on the comfy couch in the middle of family-chaos hour—when guitars and pianos are jamming at our place—and it’s like I’m in a book-writing trance. My children have to jump up in down in front of me to get my attention. The only noted issue is that I apparently speak VERY LOUDLY when I’m wearing these headphones. But I don’t mind that in the least.
My favorite companion to the headphones is a new-agey app you can find on iTunes called AmbiScience Zen Master Bundle. [Update: This has apparently been re-named to Pure Meditation Premium. Thanks for the tip, Sheri!] Though I can’t work to music—especially music with words—because of my distraction issues, I can listen to monotonous drizzle such as I hear whenever I tune in to “Buddhist Rain,” one of twenty-four sounds. I love it. It has become my anthem for attention. The app also comes in handy when you’re at a hotel with an i-compatible radio. Plug in, and sleep dreamily.
Maximize Olfactory Helpers
I don’t know what to tell you about minimizing olfactory distractions. Don’t sit next to my dog for a long time after she’s eaten her dinner. Don’t buy a home near the sewage treatment plant. This is a dead-end idea. Let’s just talk about the good stuff.
Peppermint. Pine. Citrus. Cinnamon. These are all scents researchers say might make us feel more focused and alert. My sister made a bunch of essential oils for me this past Christmas out of these scents—things to help zap fatigue, boost my focus. I love them. You might try burning (carefully) a candle at your desk. Or picking up an aromatherapy diffuser, like a clay ring you can douse with oils and set overtop a warm light bulb. It’s also worth saying that everyone is different here. Researchers might say peppermint makes people feel more focused, but you might find a floral scent does the trick for you. Experiment.
Maximize Gustatory Helpers
You know I believe in chocolate. Big time. Black tea is another of my favorite addictions, and has been shown to significantly increase concentration and possibly impact nighttime sleep less than coffee. My heart belongs to Bewley’s Irish Breakfast, but pick your poison.
Researchers believe that chewing gum can help you stay alert during the day. And, hey, you need to be alert to be focused, so chew away. Since peppermint and cinnamon are known olfactory helpers, too, might as well start there.
Some foods have a rep for helping with alertness, like walnuts, sunflower seeds, and watermelon. Eating a high-fiber, high-carb breakfast is supposed to increase alertness as well. But everybody’s different. I can’t eat oatey-ohs for breakfast or a sandwich at lunch if I want to stay alert [read: awake, able to communicate with the outside world]. I can eat as many vegetables as I want, though, so a big spinach salad is a great choice for me at lunch. If you can eat anything, monge away, but know that eating too much will likely make you sluggish.
And there may not be any taste at all in water, but I’d be remiss not to mention how important it is to drink up during the day. Staying hydrated is one of your best bets when it comes to doing right by your body.
Have sensory tips to share with your fellow distractible writers? We’d love to hear them.
Next time, I’ll talk about the body—what you need to know about ergonomics, etc… to help maximize your time in the chair. Unless I get distracted away from my desire to write that article, which is entirely possible.
Write on!
Photo courtesy Flickr’s chriswsonic357
Therese Walsh (she/her) co-founded Writer Unboxed in 2006 and is the site’s editorial director. She was the editor of WU’s only book, Author in Progress, and runs the Writer Unboxed UnConference.
Her second novel, The Moon Sisters, received starred reviews and was named one of the best books of the year by Library Journal and Book Riot.
Learn more about Therese on her website, and sign up for her newsletter to be among the first to hear about any new projects.
I like your theme and suggestions but I’m confused by the reference to programs to keep you off the ‘net. AOL is my pathway to the outside world and when I boot up I don’t have to light it up. My Word and Excel are still active and when I feel the need to look outside, I just double click on AOL and, voila!, The World appears, no prob. And, yes, a wire bound and Bic now and then can activate some deep resonance to my quill pen days.
I hear you, Alex. I do sense (ha!) that the #1 distraction facing writers today, however, is the Internet and all the shiny toys it offers–especially the social media toys. That’s why I plunked in all of those links. But to each his own. If the Internet is what saves you, by all means keep the plug squarely in place.
Excellent tips! I’ve been toying with the notion of getting a pair of those noise-cancelling headphones, but I had only been thinking of using them on airplanes. But it makes perfect sense to use them at home or anywhere else – something that hadn’t occured to me. Thanks!
Keith, with your music career, I would think you’d find multiple uses for the headphones. They are so good. Let me know how you like them, if you decide to get them.
I’m like a magpie–I get so easily distracted by anything shiny. I use leechblock and it helps, but I also find that to really get my pages written, I need to turn off wifi on my laptop or go to pen/notebook.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that bouncing from checking email to FB to G+, etc, is a cue that I’m stressed about something and not taking adequate care of myself. I’m trying to get up from the computer at that point and do something active. (eg, walk the hounds, exercise)
I think I did a far better job of focusing on my writing when I was also juggling my physical therapy practice because I knew my writing time was limited. Now that my practice is on hiatus and I have a larger amount of unstructured time, I’m more easily distracted.
Not sure there’s a tech solution to that, unfortunately!
Thanks for the post and the links.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that bouncing from checking email to FB to G+, etc, is a cue that I’m stressed about something and not taking adequate care of myself.
Great insightfulness here, LJ.
I also hear you about being better at focusing on writing when more is happening around you. Maybe it’s the difference between fighting for the time you really need to write (which makes it *feel* more valuable) and having so much time that you begin to take it for granted (lost value). I don’t know, but I’ve seen this in action.
Such great tips — I was so happy when I figured out I could disable the wireless feed to my computer so I won’t notice when I get email or tweets. Big step. And I so agree about tapping into the young brainpower… when my daughter is home from college, I try to channel her concentration required for the tough classes she studies like biochem… inspires me to think harder. I’ve never been on a writing retreat but love your description!
Retreats are a beautiful thing, Julia. I hope that you’ll have the chance to enjoy one soon.
Therese, I often joke to my wife that I had I diagnosed ADD as a child but the nuns I had for teachers knocked it out of me. But seriously, what works for me is a blank screen, no Internet, strong coffee, good music on the iPod, and, of course, chocolate in any form.
My husband gave me a bobble-head nun last Christmas. Maybe I should install her beside my desk. Or how about a picture of Gandalf with that outstretched hand of his between me and the Internet connection: “You shall not pass!”
Thank you for these tips. I need all the help I can get!
Sorry for the typo. I meant to say undiagnosed ADD. The dangers of writing on the iPhone….
Thank you! I have been searching for the programs to limit internet access ever since I saw them mentioned (here, I believe) once before. Though I can lock myself away in my quiet office to write, I just don’t have the self-restraint to keep from checking on my “electronic life” when I hit a rough patch.
Checking them all out right now. Thanks again!
You’re welcome, Kerry! I use Chrome and will be trying Nanny for Google Chome myself. Best of luck.
You know, I never thought about smell! What a good excuse to burn all these candles we’ve got lying around. (Andy used to be quite the Yankee Candle enthusiast…)
Great tips. The other thing I really like about “work with friends” is that it makes me feel like I SHOULD be working. It’s not just the company, it’s looking up and seeing everyone else with their heads down, or thoughtful expressions on their faces. It’s hearing the clacking of their keyboards. It’s knowing that if I’m too quiet or too vacant they might notice.
Agreed, Kristan. You can’t easily start playing Angry Birds on a writing retreat.
I’m sitting here reading the comments and thinking of the many conversations I’ve had on this issue with writer friends, and I thought of Sarah Callender’s wonderful wackadoodle post here last week. Seems like so many of us writers are wired (or mis-wired) alike. I’m thinking our being easily distracted is part of that wiring, and makes us better observers. It’s one of the things that brung us to this crazy-making dance.
Thanks for the community uplift, T, since most of us seem to need help with the issue.
You mean I might be normal? This is a refreshing thought. I’ll sit with it a while. Thanks, V!
This was a great post. What stopped me was your comment that going from one distraction to another makes you aware that you need to take care of yourself. This would also apply to me. I am one of those writers who has to have a day job. My middle name is “Multi-Tasker” because it is the only way I can do both. I am going to take a step back and see which of your suggestions I can implement because I believe I will be a better writer if I do.
That was LJ’s wonderful comment, Kathleen. It stopped me too.
I hope that some of the tips work for you.
Great post, Therese! I so agree with you about distractions, I could have written it! It’s not that easy to turn off the Internet, though, have you noticed? It’s like a lifeline, an addiction, the last piece of chocolate being snatched from under your nose. But you’re right, it’s ESSENTIAL if one is to get any work done. For me, even when outside distractions have been silenced, it takes me a good while to settle down and focus. I guess we really have been damaged by multi-tasking. . .
Oh, one difference- my favorite black tea (taken with cream and sugar) is PG Tips. Ever tried it? It’s fabulous!
Annie, I have NOT tried PG Tips, but I will certainly keep my eye out for it now that you’ve recommended it.
And I agree with you about the Internet. It’s not an easy addiction to kick. I find that if I start the day away from it, I’m more focused on my work. However, I also do my best writing in the evening. What does that mean for me? I don’t know. Everything in moderation, I suppose.
Wonderful post, Therese. I used to burn a candle every time I sat down to write, always in the same scent, and I’ve let that habit drift away. I’ll think of you when I light it today!
I hope you had a great writing session, Liz!
Great tips. I discovered the Monroe Products “Concentration” CDs/MP3s and use mine–the cheapest–when I really need to get in the zone. There’s all kinds of hype that goes along with this, many variations and other production companies, but even knowing all that, they actually work for me.
As for your doc? I’m not convinced most doctors recognize ADD in adults, but I think lots of writers experience this. It was only after my three sons were officially diagnosed with ADD that I said, “Oh, wait, it has to come from somewhere right?” My husband and I vie for the honor of who passed it on.
I suspect our ability to let our minds wander in a million different directions can be paramount to our creativity. Learning to channel it’s the problem we struggle with, and you’ve got some great ideas here.
I’m glad the concentration CDs work for you, Emilie. Who knows why anything works, right? Maybe just the idea that they *could* is enough to grant them potency.
Great ideas, Therese.
I, too, never thought about scents. Thanks for the tip.
Two things I do to limit distractions. (after chocolate and coffee)
First, I know what time of day I am best able to concentrate and I reserve that for my writing. Second, Like LJ above…I find if I am not able to concentrate on my work, it is because there is something unresolved in my mind. I have made a commitment that my inner life comes before my writing, so when something is unresolved I stop and pay attention to it. Usually, that is enough, and I’m soon back at the keyboard, more focused than ever.
Ding-ding on the importance of time of day, Mary. I am much more focused in the evening hours.
I love the idea of writing during homework time. I’m not there yet, but worry what I’ll do when nap time disappears. The reminder to drink water is always welcome!
I guess with the coffee and chocolate, that was four things. :)
Great post, Therese. I second your opinion on E. Gilbert’s lecture on creativity. Fabulous! It was after watching it that I began doing visualizations with my “muses.” (Whom are currently waiting for me…) ;)
I could watch that every week. Glad you love it too, Cindy.
Looking at the photo of your draft page made me laugh– I wish I could upload a photo of one of my own. With all the highlighters I use, t looks a bit like a Pollock painting right now rather than a MS.
And secondly, oh-my-goodness I absolutely adore that TED talk with Liz. She’s fantastic! Seriously, just the thing I needed to prep my day.
You’ve got some great advice here, but I guess I’m not the sort to be distracted, but my challenge is getting to the chair to begin with! Once that happens, I’m golden. For me, music helps keep me going and puts me in that zone where distractions sort of cease.
Oh, yes, the addition of color can make it all the more fun. I do think the repressed artist comes out when I pick up a pencil or pen.
I’m sensing a theme around the interwebs of removing distractions in order to successfully write, but it’s so true!
I used to have to completely distant myself from everything in order to be able to write. Which meant I was spending my nights at Denny’s drinking coffee and writing until 7 in the morning. Not the healthiest lifestyle but it worked at the time. Thankfully I’m a little better at keeping distractions away, but I’ve never been as successful as when I was spending my nights isolated and writing.
I’ve often thought that if I didn’t have kids at home, I’d write at night, sleep during the day. I don’t see it working for me right now, but maybe down the road. Thanks for your comment, David.
Working during the night and sleeping during the day sounds like absolute heaven to me. The kids do make it impossible – I hear you there!
I have a couple – a free app called ‘simply noise.’ Stick those little buddies in your ears and it wipes out everything else.
Secondly, [on Scrivener] they have a ‘target / word count’ box – seeing it in the corner of the screen is like a screaming baby – cannot be ignored.
“Maximize Gustatory Helpers.” This is hilarious, Therese!
So lovely to see you here in the Church of Chocolate. :)
For helpful scents, orange and citrus-y scents, as well as eucalyptus blends, help with alertness/concentration. Stay away from vanilla (makes you hungry/comfy) and lavender (too relaxing).
I like playing New Age-y music, but have to be careful about too much stuff with rain, running streams, etc, because that can urge too many pit stops, what with keeping myself well hydrated.
I like having my ‘puter up, because I too love thesaurus.com, or if I want to look something up – popular baby names in 1985, say – I can jump in and do that.
But I never opted in to all those clever things to get desktop or phone alerts on new e-mail or anything else, so when my e-mail is closed, it’s closed. I have a phone, but *not* a smartphone (I know, I’m a dinosaur) that I actually only use for *gasp* phone calls – and as few of those as possible.
Uh oh, maybe the vanilla lotion I love isn’t doing me any favors? I’m going to pretend I didn’t just read that, lalalala…
Smart move to stay away from the smart phone. They are addictive, too.
Great post … too bad it took me *hours* to read it. (Look, it’s snowing!) I’m so trying one of these no-Internet apps. Thanks for the recommendations.
Sorry, Supriya! Did it take you hours to read it because you were busy following all of the links, or because it was the length of two bibles? Best of luck with the apps. (p.s. You reminded me of a T-shirt that always makes me laugh when I see it in catalogs. I’ll include a link HERE, ’cause I know how you love me for them!)
Theresa wrote: “Though my doc has assured me that I do not have an adult version of ADD, I’ve wondered a time a two.”
I have adult ADD and noticed my (then 16 year old) step-son, who struggled in school, seemed to have the same way of problem solving as I did prior to Adderall (an ADD drug). Although he had been told many times that he did not have ADD, a new doctor suggested he try Adderall. The doctor said it would either help or do nothing. Within 3 days our son said he could follow the teachers for the first time. His grades went from Cs and Ds to As and Bs. This April he will be getting his Masters in Psychology and going on for a PhD. This would not have been possible without the Adderall. I could not write my novels without it. I stay focused and no longer get distracted by anything.
Do NOT try any medication without your doctor’s approval. I’m suggesting that it could be worth further investigation with your doctor.
Although I do not get distracted, I’m going to pass on your wonderful tips to my wife who can’t let an e-mail or facebook update go without immediately looking at it, regardless of what she is working on.
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Thanks for your comments, Richard, and encouragement. What a relief it must be to *not* be distractible. I can’t really imagine it.
Hi there,
I enjoyed your post. I was interested in the sound tract you mentioned and went searching for Ambiscience on iTunes with no luck.
After some googling, I found out it’s now listed under “Pure Meditation Premium.” Thought other readers might be interested.
:-)
Ooh, thanks, Sheri. I’ll update the post w/ that info.
Love this post, Therese!
Maybe, Vaughn, it’s all the other people in the world who are weirdly wired and WE writers are the normals. Let’s go with that.
I have discovered this weird trick . . . when I go to my favorite coffee place to write, I make sure I tell my barista-pal, “Yep! Gotta write today.” And then I station myself right near her so, if she wanted, she could see my computer screen. Because I know she could catch me not-writing, I’m too scared to get on the internet or on email. What if she sees me NOT writing? Ack! Then she’d think I was just one of those pretend writers who really just surfs the internet all day while her kids are in school.
Why do I think she cares one iota about whether I’m on a Word doc page or an internet page? I DON’T KNOW. I just know it works. I care too deeply about the opinions of others, I assume. And I’m weird.
But it works! Try it. You do need a barista who frightens you a little, FYI. Otherwise, the technique might not work for you.
Thanks, T!
Self-induced social pressure! I love it, SC. Thank you!
Ah, but is the barista weirdly wired? Could she have made you her writing role model? Is she watching, feeling horribly guilty, berating herself for her own lack of focus; wishing you would ease off, play Words With Friends… something? Is she at home crying into her pillow, knowing she’ll never live up to your lofty standards?
You owe it to her to just horse around on the internet, Sarah!
Great piece, Therese! Thank you!
Something else that helps me focus exercise and meditation. I have a good workout (jogging, pilates, a DVD, whatever), a shower, and a self-indulgent but wonderfully helpful ten-minute meditation time. Somehow I come back to my work refreshed and more focused.
I also like having the internet at my fingertips, but if I ‘quickly check something’ (ha!), I’ll set a timer for 5 or 10 minutes – then I don’t get caught in that horrible rabbit hole where an hour of my life has been spent skimming unnecessary drivel. ;)
Please pardon my lack of a main verb in the first sentence of the above posting. The horrors! (blushes)
If I do nothing else in 2012, I should truly try to embrace meditation. I will. I will. I will.
I find that I best avoid distraction in the right atmosphere. For me, that generally implies a cafe of some sort. I particularly like writing in the cafe’s that are commonly found in bookstores. I enjoy the atmosphere, and it’s handy to be around a plethora of books should you ever need reference.
Also, you’re completely right about the noise canceling headphone’s. It’s easy to “get in the zone” when you have the right music blasting, and a nice cup of coffee (or tea) sitting next to you.
Sometimes I like to grab fresh cookie or something from the cafe when I write there. I don’t really eat it. I’ll pick at it, but for the most part it’s presence there, the smell, etc., is fairly pleasant.
You must not be buying the right sort of cookie if you can resist it. ;-)
I don’t think this sort of setting would work for me, but maybe I’ll give it a try sometime. Thanks for your comment, Savanna!
I don’t have an office at the moment and I work in my house’s living room. My two kids just happen to love hanging out in our living room. I think your recommendation, Audio-Technica, can help. I think it’s great that it can block the noise out. The apps would help as well. I would need them until office is finally finished.
If they work for me at my house–which often sounds like a music conservatory–I think they’d work for just about anyone. Best of luck, Carol!
All I need is quiet and a clock. I actually time the different sections of my day and it really does work. I get up very early to do the blog. it has to be posted at dawn! I Feed out on the farm at first light.
Then back in to do comments and cruise other blogs until 9 am then I am into the writing until lunch time.
Then and this is the funny to watch bit – I do running relocation housework. I literally jog around the house, putting stuff away, stuffing all the machines with things and turning them on, putting dinner on the woodstove and take todays photographs. I have to do all this in two hours.
Then at 2pm.. back to the revision and images until 4, then farming and family and dinner and clean up, and bed by 8pm.
Whew. Man that looks crazy when you write it down!! This only works in winter though. But timing myself works unless it doesn’t and we all have those days too! Thank you for a great page.. Now I have seven minutes left of social media!! c
I enjoyed reading this, Therese! I wrote my first two novels entirely by hand because I was a luddite. This was back in 1998/99 and I didn’t own a laptop and I was ferrying kids around constantly. But I could pour out those words anywhere, and the fact that there was no twitter or facebook (for me anyway) helped tremendously.
Now I write solely onscreen, and just in the last year have I gotten into social media like twitter and facebook. In fact, on the back burner of my brain, I’m thinking after I submit my comment here, I’ll tweet about this great post!
I’ll say this – it has become HIGHLY addictive and distracting for me! It sucks up the time like nothing else! I can feel like I’m ‘working all day’ when I hook up with and talk to fellow authors. But then, I get to the end of my day and I haven’t even come close to meeting my word goal.
I know you’ve heard that old maxim – Desire follows attention. It’s true – the more I do it, the more I want to do it.
Hmmm, perhaps I ought to go on an internet fast and see if I can finish my current novel without any atall. Nope. Already, I know I can’t. But I can do like you say and turn it off till I’ve met my daily goal!
Thanks again for the great tips!
I have the same problem as well. I usually set priorities like when I am writing, I make sure to turn off my speaker or the volume in my laptop. My other problem are the noises outside and thank you for providing a solution for that as well.
Therese, I didn’t know some scents could help concentration. Makes sense. I am definitely going to experiment with that. I enjoyed your post, especially the part about your children jumping in front of you for your attention. As a member of a large and boisterous family– I can relate. Thanks for the great tips and the chuckles.
Thanks for the great tips! I’m loving this site.
I especially like the tools for limiting web access and the noise-cancelling headphones tip; I have tinnitus and that could potentially be especially helpful.
The only addition I may have to offer is a suggestion to try out different nutrient/diet ideas. For me, 6 or 7 fairly high protein meals/snacks a day works great – I’m rarely hungry and don’t get the ‘crash’ I used to get very often (a visit to a buffet this week reminded me of how harsh that crash can be as a distraction, I’ll never fully learn).
Thanks again!
Therese-
What a wonderful, insightful post. With all the different links to Keith Cronin’s post on Writing Better with Cheap Technology, his info on Natural Reader Software’s Free Download version, and then off the read (again) both what you and Keith said about the NEO2 (and to order one!) I was so distracted that it took me nearly 90 minutes to get back and read the end of your post and the comments. Whew!
I agree with disconnecting fro the net to get a quiet time without all the bells and whistles going off when it is time to write. That’s what I do and then keep my Blackberry on the windowsill behind me (so I can’t see it or get distracted by it) though I will be able to hear my husband’s “special” ring-tone if he needs to get in touch. The little ones are now grown and are trying to figure out on their own how to get work done without being so easily distracted! No lie!
All these tips are so great, Therese. I love my Alphie, it naturally cuts you off from the internet, which can be a great cesspool of distraction. I need to check out the Freedom app, that could be a gamechanger.
Oh boy. I so needed this. I am hopelessly distractible. And that chewing thing: I don’t like gum, so I wind up gnawing on raw almonds and wheat thins all day. Trouble is, I get distracted by the act of picking them up and putting them in my mouth — then telling myself that I have to stop due to the calories!…
I recommend taiji, sometimes called moving meditation. Some forms are only 30 seconds long, but done as frequently as you need produce powerful concentration. I speak with knowledge. They got me through four brain surgeries–before when the jitters wanted to set in and afterward for healing. They can even be imagined, although actually getting yourself up to do them is better. Here’s a link: http://www.wuhaotaiji.com
Hope it helps!
Love this post!! My biggest problem is checking email. Incessantly. And having four email addresses gives me a nice little roundelay, so by the time I get to the last one, hey, someone may have written me at the first one . . . I’ll just check it one more time. Rinse, repeat. They say it’s an addiction. Literally. That delicious dollop of dopamine in anticipation of getting a new and exciting email, and the tiny gut punch when it dries up because you didn’t. I always curse my provider when the internet goes down, but truth is, I get the most work done on those days . . . There’s always a silver lining, right?
I will have to try those headphones! My “office” is in a common room. My husband plays computer games behind me. The girls watch TV less than ten feet away. I have a desktop computer and can’t really move. My netbook helps for composing, but I can’t edit on there. Simply drowning out Phineas and Ferb would help a lot!
I have the visual thing down at least. Vintage postcards of various settings from my WIP surround my desk, and if I push back my chair just a bit, I have my great-grandfather’s paintings to look at. Seeing that he’s one of my protagonists, this does put me in his mindset…at least until the dryer beckons telling me I have clothes to fold.
I sympathize because I’m horribly distractable!
Great tips here. I love the idea of moving to a park or cafe to write, but then I do find I can’t focus there and work best at home. I do have to tidy the area around me before I start writing, if there are baskets of clothes or dishes left out, I can’t focus – but sometimes I just shove that stuff in another room and pretend it’s just ‘gone now’.
I struggle finding the right music to write to – and would love for a more musically talented writer to blog some suggestions for difference styles of writing (intense, mellow etc). I can’t listen to any of my music or I just start singing along. I can listen to podcasts about writing while I write though.
Suitably distracted by the thought of distractions now :)