As a writer, you\u2019ll already know how much you need to concentrate on getting into the flow of what you\u2019re doing. You need focus, you need determination, and to a certain extent, you need to let go to let yourself fall into the process of scribing.<\/p>\n
However, with phones, technology, and other people all around us, it\u2019s easy to find ourselves lost or tempting by distractions, which means that ultimately nothing gets done. Whether you\u2019re a freelancer, a copywriter, or an aspiring author, it\u2019s essential that you get in the zone to help you get words onto the page.<\/p>\n
With all this in mind, today we\u2019re going to explore the top ten need-to-know ways you can minimize the number of distractions around you, ensuring you have the maximum number of opportunities to focus and get your work done.<\/p>\n
#1 – Create a Dedicated Writing Space<\/strong><\/p>\n Where do you currently write? At home? On your sofa? At work? In a coffee shop? If the line is blurred between these places then it\u2019s no wonder you\u2019re going to find yourself distracted because you\u2019re telling your brain that you\u2019re in the place where you should, or could, be doing other things.<\/p>\n This is why it can be so important to make sure you\u2019re only writing, as much as possible, in a dedicated writing space. This way, every time you go into this space, you\u2019ll teach your brain that it\u2019s time to write and do or think about nothing else, thus maximizing your writing productivity.<\/p>\n #2 – Leave Your Phone at the Door<\/strong><\/p>\n Hand in hand with the consideration above, but it also applies everywhere, makes sure you\u2019re leaving your phone and any other technology you don\u2019t really need at the door where it won\u2019t distract you. Research shows that even having your phone on the desk next to you can be enough to distract you and take your mind away from the task at hand, so make sure you\u2019re keeping it out of view.<\/p>\n This point also refers to tablets, laptops, televisions, and anything else you might find yourself picking up and playing with. It\u2019s far too easy to fall into the rabbit hole, so avoid going near it. FocusMe<\/a> can help you stay focused, and even if you want to use your smartphone, make sure to install a free FocusMe app<\/a> to eliminate distractions.<\/p>\n #3 – Research Everything First<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve always found that one of the biggest distractions comes from the internet. Of course, if you\u2019re writing on your computer, then it\u2019s easy to get onto the internet in just a click or two, and then once again we\u2019re in the rabbit hole. However, there are going to be times you need to go onto the internet to research what you\u2019re writing.<\/p>\n To counteract the risk of falling into cat pictures and funny videos, make sure you\u2019re spending a dedicated amount of time researching what you\u2019re going to write first, get everything together, and then disconnect from the internet to stop you going on it.<\/p>\n #4 – Keep a Tidy Desk<\/strong><\/p>\n If there\u2019s visual clutter on your desk, this is one of the most common yet subtlest ways to find yourself distracted. Even when you\u2019re in the full flow of writing, with clutter and other bits of paper and books in your peripherals, it\u2019s easy for your mind to wander and you\u2019ll quickly find yourself distracted.<\/p>\n Instead, make sure you\u2019re keeping your writing space tidy, clean and free from clutter and mess. The tidier your environment, the more productive and focused you\u2019ll be.<\/p>\n #5 – Have a Writing Schedule<\/strong><\/p>\n Forming a habit for writing is one of the best ways to get your mind into gear, focused, and to help train yourself to get into the zone. One of the best ways to do this is to set yourself a writing schedule, which means choosing to write between certain times.<\/p>\n While it may take a while to get into originally, over time this is a sure-fire way to get your brain into gear and to stop your mind becoming distracted on other things, such as what else you\u2019re doing throughout the day and jobs you need to do. Writing time is writing time.<\/p>\n #6 – Take Dedicated Breaks<\/strong><\/p>\n When you\u2019re writing, it can be hard to stay focused for long periods of time, unless you\u2019re really engaged in what you\u2019re doing. As a rule of thumb, it\u2019s important to take breaks every 20-25 minutes to stretch, to get up and move around, and to take a breather.<\/p>\n \u201cWriting is a really mentally-draining activity, so make sure you\u2019re giving your brain time to breath and refocus, rather than trying to push through and end up burning yourself out,\u201d explains Sarah Farrow, an editor for AustralianHelp<\/a> y Academized<\/a>.<\/p>\n #7 – Listen to Ambient Music<\/strong><\/p>\n You might like to listen to your favorite playlist while you\u2019re writing, or you might not like to listen to music at all, but listening to something good can get you caught up and distracted when you\u2019re singing along or dancing to the beat. On the other hand, no music can distract you if there are lots of things going on around you.<\/p>\n However, the balance here would be to listen to ambient music. There\u2019s plenty to choose from, from classical music, bird song or ocean sounds, or even listening to a simple and relaxing meditation playlist can be a great way to get your head in the zone.<\/p>\n #8 – Break Your Tasks Down<\/strong><\/p>\n When it comes to writing something big or working on a big project, you might find the task really overwhelming and stressful, and this can put you off and make you not want to work on in. Instead, break the task down into smaller chunks that are manageable and easy!<\/p>\n #9 – Set Yourself a Deadline<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cPeople tend to work well under pressure, so by setting yourself a deadline to complete your work, you\u2019ll be far more focused on making sure you complete it, thus keeping you more focused on your writing. Treat yourself to a reward when you complete it,\u201d shares Benjamin Turner, a writer from State of Writing<\/a> y Big Assignments<\/a>.<\/p>\n #10 – Identify Your Weak Spots<\/strong><\/p>\n We all have different things in our lives that distract us, and what distracts me might not necessarily distract you. This is why it\u2019s so important to make sure you\u2019re singling out what distracts you and being mindful of your process, enabling you to identify what you need to work on.<\/p>\n Summary<\/strong><\/p>\n As you can see, while there are lots of distractions in the world, there are also plenty of ways to make sure you stay focused and on task. Experiment with different approaches and find what works for you!<\/p>\n Chloe Bennet<\/strong> is a book marketer at <\/em>BoomEssays<\/em><\/a> y <\/em>Essayroo<\/em><\/a> services. She helps to create a book buzz and is a guru of bookstagram. Also, Chloe teaches creative writing at <\/em>UKWritings<\/em><\/a> academic portal.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As a writer, you\u2019ll already know how much you need to concentrate on getting into the flow of what you\u2019re doing. You need focus, you need determination, and to a certain extent, you need to let go to let yourself fall into the process of scribing. However, with phones, technology, and other people all around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3589,"featured_media":62146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,8],"tags":[10,31,67],"class_list":["post-62133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","category-productivity","tag-productivity","tag-writers","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3589"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusme.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}