How do you write without being distracted? That's one of the biggest struggles for writers.
I could have written so much more if I could focus. But it seems like ten minutes into writing, someone is calling my name. Or when I am settled in, my own brain starts leading me to the other tasks I need to do for my business – client work, marketing, editing, and all of the ideas. It can be difficult to get into the flow and write with interruptions and distractions, whether internal or external. But books won’t write themselves. The books don't care about our excuses or who is to blame. They just want to be written. So we have to take responsibility and ownership of our time and energy.
The first step is to identify what your distractions are. Is it messiness and visual clutter? People bothering that you need to create boundaries with? Your own scattered thoughts? You can’t solve a problem if you don’t know what it is. Spend ten minutes freewriting in a journal and brain dump around these questions:
- Why am I feeling distracted?
- What distracts me?
- How can I stop?
Make a plan of what you can do. Clean your space or create a designated writing spot. Block out the time in your schedule and guard that time. Nothing else gets that time. Have a conversation with your people about what you need from them. This can be difficult, but it needs to be done so you can have space to write and avoid building resentment towards important people in your life.
After you’ve had your boundary-setting conversation and straightened your space, you could invest in noise-canceling headphones. There are expensive ones out there, and they may be worth the price tag. But I found a pair that work well. They’re Bluetooth and rechargeable, but they also come with a standard jack if you want to plug them in. Here’s my affiliate link for that here if you need a pair to silence all the outside noise.
This might seem obvious, but turn off your notifications during your writing time. Some writers disconnect from Wi-Fi completely. I usually write on Google Docs so that doesn’t always work for me. I can switch Focus mode on my Apple devices though so everything is muted while I have that on.
With all of that muted, you might still find ways to distract yourself. Astrohaus has developed this awesome tool that is designed to eliminate distractions completely. With this device, there's nothing to do but write. Their Freewrite tech offers two basic versions – a portable, lightweight Traveler and the Smart Typewriter – and the limited edition Hemingwrite. These devices are created to help you get into and stay in flow.
It has Cloud backups, and a full-size mechanical keyboard, and is designed to be a distraction-free, single-focus tool. There’s literally nothing to do but write when you use this drafting device. This Freewrite is top 3 on my writer toolkit wishlist. I’m an ambassador for the brand, but I haven’t decided which version I’m going to get – check out my referral link here to view their official site.
Beyond all the tips, tools, and tricks, it’s a matter of discipline and butt-in-chair to write. You’ve set yourself up for success. Now write on.
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