Writing is a tricky beast in that it can derail even the most prolific writer if not managed properly. Even when managed well though, it would be hard pressed to find a writer that hasn’t at some point experienced procrastination via the many distractions available.
As profiled in a previous post, writing distractions can come in many different forms including social media, reading other blogs, RSS feeds and even family members simply walking in and interrupting. To stay on track and keep the writing distraction blues away, see our three additional tips below.
3 More Ways To Keep Distractions At Bay While Writing
1. Team Up With Another Writer
Even though writing is considered a solitary endeavor, there’s no rule really that says you must write alone. Why not find another writer (locally) that you can meet with and write in tandem. This would work like this; you could each visit one another at each other’s home once a week or so and keep each other accountable. You could share and brainstorm writing ideas, you could critique each others work and or you could simply write independently as you normally would at home, but not be alone. You have nothing to lose, by trying this and see if it helps.
2. Reward Yourself
Many accomplished book writers like to establish some sort of reward for a novel completed by a publisher deadline or even a self-imposed deadline. This keeps them on track and also allows for the setting up of fun and rich rewards such as a trip with your significant other to an awesome destination, but if – and (only) if – you meet the set deadline. Make this fun and create cool rewards, they don’t necessarily need to be expensive, they can be as simple as a nice pair of shoes or even a decadent pastry at your local bakery. When you finish your article or blog post, treat yourself accordingly.
3. Turn OFF The TV
This is for the work at home writers (like me) that tend to work in the room where the house TV is located and then get horribly sidetracked when “Dancing With The Stars” comes on or “Grey’s Anatomy” or a daytime talk show like the hilarious “Ellen”. If you too suffer from TVitis then it’s time to unplug the entertainment box in the corner or try a different room in your home. This should alleviate your problem and make you a much more productive writer.
Wrap Up
It’s important to keep yourself on pace and productive so that you can get more done, take on more clients and of course – increase your income. Whether you run a service or product based business getting more done is all about strategic planning, goal setting and organization. This can only happen if you know how to manage it all and keep distractions at bay.
Guest Post by Cliff Jensen :
Missy writes for a website SEO service provider on the web and knows a thing or two about distractions. She does her best to keep the distraction monster away by following the tips above to keep her on track.