Distractions are the curse of artists and writers. I’m not talking about procrastination, such as when you decide to organize the hall closet instead of working on your novel. I mean little irritants that, while writing, make me think I’m turning into Monk, the OCD television character. I sit down at the kitchen table to write, but a newspaper in disarray, someone’s half-cup of cold coffee, and a crumpled napkin pulse in the periphery, competing for attention. I try to ignore them, but a compelling urgency forces me to hop up to clear the table first, and that often turns into cleaning the entire room, and next thing I know, the afternoon is gone.
It’s fascinating (and irritating) that something visual has so much power to distract me. I’m unable to simply look away. And it’s not just the big stuff, either; it’s the peculiar-shaped white crumb that annoys me, not the precarious stack of books collecting dust on my desk.
Plenty of other things distract me to the point of pulling my hair out: Sporadic dog barking. Telephone ringing. Itchy tags in a sweater. Cold feet. Hot flashes. Buzzing lights. The sound of the television. Cravings. Kenny G on the radio. My husband when he’s in the same room, whether he’s humming or not. Someone walking past my room. Often the fear of distractions yet to occur is enough to blow my writing concentration.
I’ve learned to tidy up anything that looks like it might annoy me before I sit down. I also use a pair of noise canceling earplugs, and if I put in the right music, it works well, but I can’t listen to anything new–it has to be music I’m familiar enough. I can’t handle surprises.
Does anyone else deal with this? I’d love to know what annoys other writers and how they clear out the visual and auditory noise when they w
ant to concentrate.
Linda,
This was great, especially the husband and the fear of distractions yet to come! I’ve just passed it along to the writers in my Boot Camp class who’ve been building new writing routines this week.
Me, I get distracted by: mail that may or may not have been delivered yet, a dishwasher full of clean dishes, an unfinished newspaper crossword puzzle, those damn New Yorker magazines that keep coming every blessed week, and also the husband, whether or not he’s yammering about how many eBay sales his company had that day.
Thanks as always for your posts. – Lisa
Oh yes, the anticipation of mail! And those chores that have to be done every day, sooner or later. Argh! I wish your Boot Camp recruits much success in battling distractions.
Oh yes, the husband.. and anything half eaten, uneven shades, curtains, actually anything out of plumb, and oh how I wish that were all
SO very glad I’m not alone!
Email! Oh god, email. I try so hard to stay away…but I…can’t…help…clicking…
I’ve thought about disconnecting my wifi when I’m writing, but I can’t seem to bring myself to do it.
I fear I need rehab.
I write on an older PC without internet access, and use a laptop for web research, blogging, email etc, and sometimes I have to shut it down, otherwise the temptation to compulsively check email/facebook/twitter is overwhelming.
Another trick I use is to enforce a three hour check: 9am, noon, 3pm… and I set a timer and forget it. This feels freeing, actually. Try it to see if it works. And let me know if it does!
omg! yes FACEBOOK, E-MAIL, AND YOUTUBE are my sworn enemies, it doesn’t help that i’m in grade 12 and need to focus on my work lol. Surprisingly though hen i ‘m doing something i like, like my art work i am so concentrated that someone could set the hous on fire and i wouldn’t know lol
Hi Aniza. It takes discipline, but I have learned I need turn the laptop or PC off so I’m not tempted!