Removing distractions and capitalizing on time spent “in the zone” is key to creativity, especially writing. Whether writing a novel or a simple blog post, distractions which cause you to stop and start (even just one time) stall your progress and halt your momentum.
Here are a few things that I find distract me the most when I try to create, whether writing, filming, or working on a project. Though, regaining momentum lost while writing seems to be the most difficult.
Television
Television is a distraction at best and leads you down the road called never-get-anything-done. Broadcast television is the worst because the viewer isn’t even in control of the content. I think the only way to consume digital media nowadays is to stream it on-demand.
Even a TV sounding in another room can be a distraction, so it’s essential to choose a place and a time that will eliminate the noise.
To overcome this, I choose to do my writing when no one is home or early in the morning. I also never try and write in the TV room. Instead, I do most of my writing in my office.
Electronic Disruptions
Once you’ve established your writing-space and time, there are a few other annoyances that if eliminated, will help keep you in the zone.
I’m talking about email, text messages, and social media, etc. I suppose one could call these digital-disturbances; however, there are a few other digital-killjoys that I’ll bring up in the next section.
Consider putting your phone on silent or at a minimum, leaving it in another room. If you are writing on a computer, leave messaging applications such as email off. Don’t open social media sites and only open programs needed to write.
Eliminating electronic disruptions is a priority in all areas of my life. My phone has been set to silent for the past three years and I disabled all application-notifications (except weather and amber alerts, etc).
It’s a matter of choice and control and I don’t feel that I miss out on anything spectacular. When I have the time, I check. My phone is a tool that I use, not the other way around.
Frankly, because I’m not constantly reminded of social media I tend to forget about it and go days without checking it. This isn’t a bad thing and I don’t think social media sites are inherently bad. What is important to me is to be able to maintain balance.
Friends and Family
This is in no way meant to be an affront towards friends and family, but they are most likely an author’s biggest challenge.
It’s natural for those around you to want to engage with you. They do this because they care about you and want to interact with you, which is a good thing.
However, each interruption pulls you out of the creative zone you want to be in and stalls momentum.
When you want to create, focus, and get into the zone, do so in a way not to be interrupted by friends and family.
This often requires a bit of pre coordination and most importantly, open communication. It is helpful to establish a place for writing (not near a TV), and schedule a time when you will write. Let the people around you know this.
Additionally, you may need to tell them (yes outloud with spoken words) that writing is important to you, and you are going to take this time to write without distraction.
Conclusion
And that’s it, the top three distractions that I try my best to minimize in my own daily life.
Writing and trying to be creative has its own inherent problems, and being distracted shouldn’t be one of them.
Photo by Charlz Gutiérrez De Piñeres on Unsplash
