I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of experience with distractions! This past year has been especially tough to focus with schooling kids at home and a pandemic. I have had to find ways to work around my distractions and put them into their proper places and I have some tips to pass along to you (and I’d love to hear yours!).
1) It’s good to ask for help! If you struggle with getting work done with your kids around, don’t be afraid to ask for help! Find a sitter or a loving grandparent and ask for them to watch your children away from your house once- or twice-a-week so you can have some distraction-free time that you can count on.
2) Have a place you can go to work away from your home. Find a place that works for you. If you can’t write at a local coffee shop because it’s too loud, find a different place where you are productive. If you have nice weather, a neighborhood park could be nice–and that also limits your internet access and helps get you away from the online distractions.
3) Have set days for your chores around the house. Scheduling the house and yard work will help you to maximize your time and it helps to keep the house in better shape–at least it has for me! Trying to cram every chore into the weekends just leads to burn out and then the writing doesn’t get done.
4) Only allow yourself to look at your phone/social media during real breaks. If you stop for lunch, take that time to check in to your online life or to play your Words with Friends game, but don’t allow yourself to constantly be distracted by your apps or social media. Turn off all notifications that might buzz or ring during your work time. I don’t usually turn off my phone during work time, but that’s not a bad idea either!
5) Give up watching some of your shows. You’ll find you don’t really miss them once you aren’t watching them! Reading is more fun anyway. 🙂
Breaking bad habits is always hard at first, but the reward comes with the increased productivity and also better rest!
How do you overcome your distractions?
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Hi Rachel! This is a very timely post for me, and I thank you for writing it. The important takeaway for me is to schedule my housework! Who knew? We live in a dry, dust-prone area; and, we have a very large, hairy German shepherd named Hoka. Hoka Hair is a wardrobe accessory around here. 🙂
Sometimes it’s depressing to me to sit with my husband and my coffee in the early mornings and look around at my neglected house, hair and dust floating everywhere. I think, “I really need to get on this today-what if my daughter drops by? She’ll fire me as her mother…but, I have to write that scene, research, edit, listen to this or that podcast…”
But, with your tip, I can say to myself, “No, it’s not House Day,” and kick that guilt to the curb.
Caveat: On House Day, I need to get after it, right? 🙂
Perhaps, if your daughter drops by, she’ll find it liberating to know a great mom like you isn’t compulsive about spending too much time cleaning when there are things of more lasting importance you could be doing with that time. (I live in New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment. It’s impossible to keep things dust-free here, so we locals just rename the dust “enchantment” and go with the flow about it.)
I love that, Carol! I think, for the PNW where I live (the desert part), I’ll start calling it Pixie Dust! 🙂
I like that, Deb!
I totally agree about scheduling housework! As my wise sister-in-law told me shortly after I got married, “It’s much easier to maintain a clean house than to clean a dirty one.” Of all the cleaning advice I’ve heard and read over the years, this one sticks with me the most.
I used to go to a coffee house once or twice a month, super early in the morning. It was quiet except for another small group that met for a Bible study, and I got so much work done during those two precious hours. I was immensely grateful to my husband for watching the kids at 6 am on a Sat! Sadly the place went out of business last year. I have yet to find another like it. 🙁
My writing has been on hold for months (newborn!), but I have been taking the time to read more because of it. Discovering new authors and books is always fun!
These are great ideas, Rachel! I’m having a really hard time focusing right now and I’ll have to try to schedule the household chores. That might really help!
These are great ideas. My husband doesn’t understand how I can work in a loud coffee shop but struggle at home with everyone home. But no one talks to me at the coffee shop, and I can get and stay in the zone. 😉
These are super suggestions to keep from being distracted. Thank you, Rachel! I need to put everyone of them into practice!
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