Over the last few months, I’ve had trouble focusing my attention on anything. Often, at the end of the day, I look back and don’t see what I’ve accomplished. Editing still needs to be done. A story waits to be written. Deadlines, self-imposed, come and go. Have you ever had days or weeks or even months like that?
Sometimes, our focus is diverted due to health issues or other unexpected pressing matters. We have no choice but to prioritize. I’ve had to put my focus on health issues, appointments, and basic things around the house. At times the blank page mocks me about procrastinating and I have to be honest with myself and evaluate where my time and energy needs to be spent.
But at other times, I sit and stare at a blank
computer screen. The words aren’t typing themselves. I walk away and grab a pen
and notebook, but the distractions pull my focus off writing. What distracts
you? I have a few things that distract me. Some are necessary but maybe at a
different time. Others are frivolous and easier to relegate to the background. I
began a list of my distractions.
1. A messy workspace, clutter
2. Those bings and dings with notifications popping in. They just might be important.
3. Forgotten household tasks that now must be dealt with, or so I think
4. Negative self-talk like “Why bother? What will you do with the writing anyway? It’s not good enough?”
5. Fear of failing. But if we don’t sit down and write, we’ve failed by not trying.
George Lucas said, “Always remember your focus determines your reality.” If I never focus on writing, the reality is I won’t be able to share the stories, devotionals, or articles with others. They will remain hidden in a notebook or on my computer.
We need to plant the seeds that will enable us to focus easier and then cultivate the skill with our writing or any other task we need to accomplish. What are some tips you’ve discovered that help you focus on writing? Some suggestions include:
1. Clear away distractions. If it is a messy workspace, schedule time other than your writing time to organize it and remove the clutter in your environment which will in turn help negate the mind clutter.
2. Make yourself some goals. It is not something everyone enjoys or wants to do. But setting big goals and then breaking them down into weekly or daily steps can help you focus on a little bit at a time instead of being overwhelmed with the big picture.
3. Accountability – It helps me when I have an accountability partner, or more than one. There is a sense of urgency when that other person asks you how far your writing project is and the expected completion date.
4. To do lists help you see all your everyday tasks and writing ones too. It makes it easier to visualize what needs to be done and the priority it demands in your schedule. An appointment must be met at the assigned time, for example.
5. Schedule writing time. This is something I struggle with even though I know mornings are the most productive time for me.
6. Put into practice all the information you have learned over the years. I have a habit of wanting to continue to take a course, go to a workshop, or attend a conference. But I need to use what I’ve learned or it becomes meaningless. That negative voice that tells me I don’t know enough must be quieted.
7. Just start writing. Use a writing prompt, write everyday happenings, or just nonsense. This helps get the creative juices flowing. Louis L’Amour told an interviewer he never had writer’s block because he had a number of projects on the go in various stages. If he couldn’t think of what should happen next in a story, he’d move to editing a different one, jotting notes for the next story, or polishing a piece to publish. By that time the ideas had filled his mind for the current story. What might work for us?
8. Don’t edit as you go and break the flow of creativity. The edits can wait until we finish the piece.
9. Give yourself permission to take breaks so you can return refreshed. But plan the length of those so they don’t become excuses to procrastinate.
These tips are all ones we’ve heard, often many times already. Some we use and keeping focus becomes easier. I needed the reminders so I can quit procrastinating and become more focused and productive with my writing.
Jen Sincere said, “What you focus on, you create more of.”
What does focus look like in your writing life? What works to help you keep on task? The things that I find helpful, might not work for you and vice versa. But the one constant is the need to keep our attention on the goals, the plans God has whispered to us, and the desire to share what we’ve written with others. Now no more evading, no more letting the blank computer screen defeat me, I must spend time focusing on my writing.
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