Detour distractions | A few tips I’ve learned
Between the news media outlets, social media feeds and everything else begging for our attention there are so many darn distractions. As a writer, I have found value in going “offline”. Yes, off the grid.
How so? My phone remains on airplane mode pretty much all the time. This also saves battery life since my phone is not constantly looking for antennas. Also, I don’t have any social media applications installed on my phone whatsoever. If I have something work related I want to post on social media for my writing career, I just email the article to my social media profile. This tactic, helps liberate me. So far, I have survived with this strategy for two years.
Hacking Social Media: Block the social media feed! There are many free Facebook apps that block the feed and the so called “news” that Facebook propagates. If you are afraid of missing out on baby pictures from your family, you can set a notification alert on your closest friends so you get notified when they post something. In addition, I have ALL Facebook notifications sent directly to my email. Because of this, I really NEVER have a reason to go on Facebook because my email will tell me what my closest friends are doing or if someone mentioned me in a comment.
As a writer, I do set time to engage with my audience on Facebook, but I have made my Professional Facebook page a totally separate Facebook login than my personal Facebook. That ensures that I never get dragged into the Facebook drama on my personal page.
(Funny but related: Man Pays Someone to Slap Him to Prevent Him From Facebooking.)
Another thing I do when I can’t focus is go to a local coffee shop for work. For whatever reason, I have a hard time focusing at home. Perhaps I have too many luxuries. Cough, Cough, Maggie (she is high maintenance).
Stealing a tip from Nicolas Cole, I have identified my ideal time for productivity. I personally am the most productive from 5am to 10am. After lunch, I tend to slow down from a productivity standpoint. Now having this new found knowledge, during these times I will make myself impossible to reach so that I have no distractions.
Read, read, read. I have also noticed that when I read something similar to the topic I am about to write about, I am vastly more creative. For instance, when I consume something fiction related, I have a hard time getting back into the personal finance mode. To be clear, I am not saying that we shouldn’t consume fiction, I am just saying that absorbing a topic of similar interest will stimulate my brain and fuel me to write about it. While on this topic, I don’t like to read about current events or serious stuff before bed. This gets my brain thinking too much. This is where fiction comes in. I like to read fiction prior to bed. Warning: According to a Harvard Study, the cell phone technology in our LCD screens makes it harder for us to sleep at night. That being said, the e-ink in our ebooks and regular paper books don’t seem to have a negative effect on our sleep.
(Related: Top 5 things that will help me read 36 books this year.)
Having a hard time finding motivation? Compile a list of bloggers/authors to stalk. What are these influencers talking about? Perhaps you can get pumped about a new trend. Also, look to google trends. Is there something trending that is on topic with your audience? Since I write about money, I am always looking for trending topics on recessions, interest rates, tax bills etc.
If you have any productivity hacks please help me. I am on the search for more ways I can be productive!
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