Distractions

I have tried writing this blog post several times throughout the day, but I have realized that it is a slightly difficult thing to do when:

A) You have a Sims game open and taunting you from your taskbar.

B) You're going through yet another Sailor Moon phase and you're watching the fifth and final season for the first time. (This is the first time I've had a new episode since I finished the first season in Japanese in grade 9 or 10 and was introduced to several episodes that weren't dubbed into English. I'm excited. Don't judge.)

C) Your friend invite you to watch hockey with them, and despite the fact that you have no interest in hockey whatsoever, you still find yourself amusingly distracted by their screaming and yelling and discussions with other friends invited to watch said game.

D) School has been cancelled due to a blizzard (the second one this week. Welcome to Canada.), and as a result you feel inclined to use this as an excuse to do nothing.

E) You have a Sims game open and taunting you from your taskbar.

I would like to point out, however, that these are not excuses for not getting a blog post up. This is a blog post. It's up. If you would ever so kindly check your calendar, it is still Friday. (Albeit somewhat late on Friday.) So who's laughing now?

(Probably no one.)

Regardless of what they are, distractions are...well, a pain in the butt. They're at the very core of procrastination, and can easily turn a 5-minute break into a 3-hour one. This applies for all things, and not just writing. (But for our purposes, we'll focus on writing.)

Avoiding distractions are....kind of impossible. Something will always come up. Always. Don't bother trying to tell yourself that it won't, because I'm telling you that it will. That's life. That being said, a good system can help you avoid the most notorious of these distractions. (I'm looking at you, Facebook.) Things work differently for everybody, but here's just a few of the things I've picked up this past year:

1) Create a set time to write.

I'm not telling you to schedule every single minute of your day. That's just ridiculous. (And unrealistic. Have you had the pleasure of meeting Life?) I'm saying to make a point of setting aside a certain amount of time every day (or almost every day, I'm not picky) to write, and only write. It doesn't have to be the same time every day; just make sure you put in the effort to write. (I find it easier if I spend my writing time first, before doing anything else.)

This time is your Writing Time. Don't feel inclined to spend an absurd amount of time on it--I settle with a half hour. Less is better than more. When the time runs out, you can always keep going. Just don't stop before it runs out, and you'll be okay.

2) Close that freaking internet browser.

You can even block distracting websites, if you feel so inclined. (Cold Turkey is a fantastic program for PCs.) Just close your browser of choice and don't let yourself re-open it until your writing time has expired. 

3) Turn that phone off.

Or put it on silent, or hide it under your bed. Do you know how much writing time can be wasted just texting somebody? And then you think, "Oh, I'll just check Facebook quickly...Oh, gotta restock my tower (I'm referring to Tiny Tower. Fantastic game for smart phones, but not the point)...Well, now they've texted me again, I have to reply..."

See what I mean? Just hide it. It's only half an hour. I believe in you.

4) Turn on your music.

I tend to have a special playlist dedicated to each project I'm working on, full of songs that best describe the feeling of the story. Make a playlist of songs that work best for you--be them instrumental, upbeat, or super angst-y ballads.  Plug in your headphones, crank up the volume (I cannot be held liable for any loss of hearing that may occur), and....

5) Write!

Distractions are gone. Set up a timer on your phone, or on a website (I don't have any links on hand. If you don't know how to work Google, then I guess you're out of luck), and start writing until either the timer runs out or you run out of steam (whichever comes second).

Will these get rid of every single distraction in your life? No, not really. (See items A-E mentioned above.) But I find that they help. Take the time to find what works for you.

Don't beat yourself up if you can't find time to write absolutely every day. If you have a video / powerpoint presentation and a paper due the next day that you've barely started (that may or may not have been my Wednesday situation), then please, for the love of all that is good in the world, don't worry about writing. It can wait. Believe it or not, there are some things that are more important than writing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an open Sims game taunting me from my taskbar. Some distractions you just can't avoid.

Until later,

- Justyne