It is a problem experienced by the best of writers at one time or another: struggling to focus on your writing because of external distractions. Do you always have just one more email you’d like to reply to before you start writing? Need to get the kids their dinner or help them with their homework? Want to make sure your stationary cupboard is fully stocked? There are so many reasons not to buckle down and get on with the business of writing! If this sounds like you then here are a few tips for focusing on your writing and getting your work back on track:
Set a Writing Schedule! It’s important to see your creative writing as a job and the best way to do that is to set yourself daily deadlines, just like you would in an office environment! How you organize these deadlines is up to you: what’s important is that you set them, achieve them, and they are realistic. Some writers like to set themselves daily word counts: for example, they must write 1,000 words a day. Other writers prefer to focus on quality rather than quantities of work produced and instead try to work solidly for certain chunks of time instead: you must sit at your desk for two hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon, for example. It doesn’t matter what targets you set, just set them and stick to them!
Stay hydrated and avoid alcohol The list of writers who have struggled with alcoholism during the course of their career is seemingly endless. Raymond Chandler abused alcohol for the entire duration of his writing career. Welsh poet Dylan Thomas spent much of his career boasting about his drinking and his health deteriorated rapidly towards the end of his life due to this vice. He ultimately slipped into a coma whilst drinking to celebrate his 39th birthday and died four days later. Finally Edgar Allan Poe died at the young age of just 40, and his unexplained death has been attributed in turn to a mix of alcoholism, drugs, cholera, and tuberculosis. Although all of these writers had huge success during their careers, of course, there is no glorifying drinking as you write. There is no merit to drinking simply due to the ill-conceived idea that it might contribute to your art. If you do feel you are drinking too much during the writing process then seek help before the problem escalates too much. You can find support wherever you are from Florida alcoholic help, to New York rehabilitation centers. Don’t be tempted to reach for a beer or a glass of wine whilst you’re working, but do keep hydrated. Being properly hydrated will actually help to increase your concentration. Water makes up approximately 60% of your body mass and about 80% of your brain, so it makes sense that drinking it will add to your brain power!! Keep a jug of water on your desk as you work, and get into the habit of sipping throughout the day.
Create the Perfect Work Environment Working on your laptop whilst curled up on your sofa might feel comfy, but it certainly won’t aid your productivity! If you want to work smart then work at a desk: preferably in an office or a separate room away from the hustle and bustle of family life. If that’s not possible (if your desk is in your living room for example) then ensure that you turn the TV, radio, or any other stimulus off whilst you’re trying to wrote. Listening to Oprah might be a pleasant way to spend the afternoon, but it won't help your work! Keep your working environment tidy and clutter free; after all, having a tidy space is conductive to having a tidy mind. Finally, avoid the lure of the writers favorite haunt: the coffee shop. Working in a coffee shop with your laptop and a latte may make you feel like a ‘real writer’ but it certainly won’t aid your word count! The people-watching opportunities in a coffee shop are endless, and it’s far more exciting to see what’s going on around you than it is to edit that final chapter. Stay at home and increase your productivity instead!
Written by Claire Baines
