You've settled in to type. Committed and ready to work, you have each item ready: the coffee is hot, the books are open, and the computer waits for your brilliant words. Placing your hands on the keyboard, everything seems perfect and ready for you. As you start writing, your phone vibrates with a Facebook notification. Suddenly you find yourself scrolling your feed, browsing Instagram, and checking your email.
After 15 minutes of social media browsing, you attempt to force yourself back to writing. Ready again, your phone buzzes. This time it's a message from your best friend asking if you want to go out tonight. After sorting out your plans, you try once again to get back to writing. But despite your effort, you discover that the words refuse to flow. Wringing your hands, you stare at the screen in disbelief as the blinking cursor appears to taunt you. You had lofty goals, but now all of your time has evaporated. You're now distracted and disinterested in writing. Frustrated, you decide to close the books and return to Facebook.
This is a common occurrence for writers. Despite our best efforts, the outside world calls us away from completing our papers. We're susceptible to being distracted. Distractions come in many forms. One of the most common distractions is social media, which is especially challenging for high school and college students. However, the dangers of distraction is a problem we all face. We continually overestimate our own abilities to juggle between writing, social media, texting, and our own responsibilities. Furthermore, continued distractions and multitasking might actually be rewiring our brains.
Distractions add up. More distractions mean less writing, and less writing adds more pressure to meet deadlines. Distractions are especially costly in academic writing. It can have disastrous consequences on our grades and degree progress. Short term projects (term and research papers) can be very stressful. Distractions can lead to a failure to turn in work on time and/or poor quality writing. Long term projects (dissertations and theses) create cumulative pressures. Constant distractions and subsequent lack of progress can lead to self-doubt, frustration, and shame.
We have a hard time remaining focused when doing something we don't like. I've never encountered anyone who actually enjoyed writing a paper, dissertation, or thesis. This doesn't mean that this kind of writing can't be enjoyable, however completion of this type of writing requires that we work a little harder to remain focused and motivated.
There's not a one-size-fits-all approach to overcoming distractions. But there are things you can do that will give you the best chance to avoid them.
Create a routine. Writing is very much a mental discipline. The mental preparation to write is as important as actually writing. Preparation requires training our minds to enter into an almost meditative state. Get your mind into writing mode! Very few of us can write on a whim. Instead, we usually need to gently ease into the writing state. Develop a routine that prepares and relaxes your mind for writing. Start your routine at least 15 minutes before it's time to write. This might involve enjoying a cup of coffee, reading for pleasure, or even meditation. Avoid anything that makes you upset, worried, or anxious. Also try to keep away from things you enjoy too much. Don't start a Netflix binge right before it's time to write!
Follow a writing schedule. If possible, try to write at the same time each day. Creating a consistent writing schedule will help to train your brain that it's time to write. An inconsistent writing schedule makes it harder to create a routine, thus making it harder to avoid distractions. A fixed schedule also gives you a tangible goal. The knowledge that you always write one hour in the morning or afternoon encourages you to use that time wisely. It's your writing time, therefore any messages, texts, or phone calls can wait until your time is done. If necessary, share your writing schedule with your family and friends. This way they'll know you're unavailable during your scheduled time. After a few days of this, you'll require less mental preparation to write. A consistent schedule helps to rewire your brain to write, making writing less exhausting. Your brain will be ready to write when it's time to write.
Smaller blocks of time are best. The longer we sit, the more prone we are to distraction. Moreover, it's also bad for our health (poor health is also distracting). It's a fantasy to believe that you can write for 8-10 hours straight. More likely, you're only going to be truly productive for maybe half of that time. It's harder to sit in one area for several hours. After a few hours you'll be looking for anything to relieve you from the task at hand. And those distractions add up, making it harder to recover from each distraction. It's nearly impossible to avoid distractions after an hour at the computer. But it's easier to keep motivated with smaller blocks of time. Think about it. Can you really sit in one location for more than a couple of hours?
Find a good writing environment. Writing requires a comfortable place where you can remain focused. Some people write best at home. Others enjoy the presence of others (e.g. the library or Starbucks). Make sure that your environment is free from anxiety or stress. Don't write in places that are loud or near people that distract you. Avoid writing in areas that remind you of household chores. Find a consistent zone that's dedicated to the purpose of writing. This means avoid writing in areas that you usually watch TV, play video games, or do work. Claim your space!
Move the smartphone. Even the presence of a smartphone can be distracting. Move the phone out of your sight. A phone, even on silent, is a reminder of the world of distractions. A supposedly harmless look at Twitter or Instagram can eat up precious time for writing. Make it hard to get your phone. At the very least, move your phone into another room or turn it off. Indulge yourself with social media after your writing time, but not during it.
Turn off the internet. This is the nuclear option. You probably won't want to do this if you need the internet to do research as you write. But if you absolutely can't focus, then turn it all off (except the computer of course). Unplug the Ethernet cable, turn off the modem, or hide away the wireless router. Make it difficult to turn it back on. Do whatever it takes to keep you from distractions. Turning on the phone is easy, and this fools us into believing that a short look at Facebook won't take up much time. Disconnecting entirely helps you to think twice about browsing.
Photos by Charlz Gutiérrez De Piñeres, Anthony Tran, and freestocks.org, on Unsplash
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