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#IWSG Getting past the distractions

 Welcome to another monthly blog post about writers and the mayhem we get into!

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Today I'm going to talk about distraction. To be fair it was this month's suggested question but it hit home, so I'm running with it ;).

Everyone in every field has to deal with distractions. It's part of life. But, for writers, who sometimes are writing-avoidant (aka most of us at one point or another) distractions can be a serious danger.

Whether you're a plotter a pantser, or somewhere in between, staying focused on the world you're creating is important.

Family members, pets, roommates, and total strangers can all throw that off.

Not to mention to lure of social media.

Even with no one in the house, aside from a sometimes pushy cat, I can get massively distracted by social media.

The urge to get that little hit of dopamine from an interesting or engaging post--or a comment or post from a friend, is hard to avoid. “Just one more check,” we say as we hit the pellet bar again. Even when we know there’s nothing worth being pulled from our work, we have to make sure.

There’s a reason why when people study rat behavior that the random reward creates the most clicks on that pellet bar. If we’re never sure when something good will be there—we keep clicking over.

So, distraction is bad.

How do we address it? I’ve heard of ways to lock out social media on your computer for a period of time. I haven’t gone there yet, but might eventually.

Right now, I use my progress to determine when I can have a distraction break. X number of words done (or chapters edited), and I get a break.

I also break up my writing with stretches and eye breaks (looking off into the distance for 20 seconds).

And I’m starting meditation which, while not specifically aimed at distractions or writing, does help build focus.

I recently lowered my daily word count goals, but am finding the less I give in to distraction—the more I can accomplish. Who’d a thunk it!?

What about you—how does distraction impact your writing? What have you tried to help with it?

Thanks for coming by and happy IWSG Day!