So as writers, writing is our focus. But as we know, things in life will get in the way to see if we're serious about our craft. I realized this in the morning today, as my dog, adorable dog, crawled into my lap for endless cuddles, just as I was about to workout. Cuddling him was so much more enticing than the thought of working out. But in the end, I know that this wouldn't get me the results I was looking for. As much as I'd like for cuddling a dog to burn calories and build muscles, it's just not going to have that effect. Same goes for writing.
We know that we need to get pages written, dialogue down, characters in good shape, all to move forward on the stories we wish to tell. But for some reason there are so many distractions to get in the way! So in order not to let something "unimportant" take over our lives, I think it's important to limit how many and how often we let these distractions take precedence. So here are some suggestions:
1. Social media like Facebook and Twitter - give yourself a set amount of time that you let yourself search or post on a given day. Or only let yourself browse and post ONCE you've finished your goal pages for the day.
2. Socializing - If you're an extroverted/introverted writer, like me, seeing friends can easily eat into your writing. I tend to lean on the introverted side a lot. But sometimes when I'm missing friends, they can seem to add up all on the same weekend. So limit how many per week you let interrupt your writing days. Or make time for other writers that you need to catch up with, so you can be doing some writing time and see friends at the same time. Or again, if you've had a productive week of writing, then maybe you can let it slide a little more than usual.
3. TV shows - We all know it's the era of TV and so it's easy to binge watch, constantly! This is an easy time-suck, especially if you're writing in the TV genre. So for me, I only try to watch shows that are in my genre and I also only watch TV when I'm falling asleep. That way it doesn't interrupt my writing time. It does mean I'm behind on most shows. But I think writing needs to come before watching shows. Maybe you disagree. But if you're not reaching your writing goals, then perhaps you need to revisit how you watch your TV shows too.
4. Family. This can be immediate family like spouses and kids, or extended family like siblings and in-laws. No matter what you consider family, it's important not to ignore them, but it's also important to make time for your writing. It can be a tricky balancing game. For me, this one takes precedence over all the others. But I'm also sure to try and balance my family and writing to be sure I give each one adequate time. At least I try! No one in the family's complained yet!
5. Writing goals - If you don't have them, then perhaps it's time to get some. I personally have very limited time to write, so instead of having a page count I write every day, mine is a time amount. Every night it can change, so I really don't stick to a set time, but when I know I have the time, then that's my writing time. I make time to write every night of the week. I used to have more free time on the weekend, but alas, that's not as consistent any more. But stick to what works for you. If page count gets your butt in the chair, so be it. If an amount of hours works for you, great. If getting up at 5 a.m. every day works, great. The important thing is to be sure you're writing on a consistent basis. If not, then it's time you reevaluate your life and distractions.
6. Working out - This is an important one that I almost forgot about. I workout every day. But I don't spend my life at the gym like many of my gym friends. When I used to workout at the gym, I'd go an hour, max. Now I even workout with intense video workouts every morning at 6 am and walk every day at lunch for an hour. But when friends want to hike for several hours on the weekends, that's precious writing time. An hour, sure, but more than that, all I can think about is how much writing I could be doing instead!
7. Etc There can be a lot of other distractions of course, and only you know what's sucking up your writing time. The important thing is there shouldn't be any excuses for not writing. So find out what's really important and try to limit time for the things that aren't as important. Happy writing! And now, done with this distraction for the day!
