I’ve been highly distractible for my entire life. If I was in school now (I’m not, by a number of decades) I’m sure there would be a formal diagnosis, possibly medication to support ‘typical’ brain function. I’m not, and there isn’t.
Instead of medication, I’ve found what works for me.
Writing is easy for me… once I get started. As long as I don’t stop.
The getting started is a simple matter, for me, of routine. A time, a place, a habit around both. I have a writing desk where I ONLY write. That computer? I choose what distractions it has on it.
Yup, you heard me. I choose to be distracted.
It helps.
My attention is limited, my willpower is low, and if I’m not wholly engaged, my brain will wander off and start chasing metaphorical squirrels.
So, how do I wholly engage my brain?
I’m a fan of keeping ALL of my senses engaged enough that they don’t linger on something that’s not The Work.
Writing for me, is visual and linguistic—more the latter than the former. So, the first thing I need is audio distraction. Music, mostly. Something familiar, something that doesn’t demand my attention to decipher lyrics, but preferably something with lyrical interest, lyrical beauty. I’m working in words, so the words that are going into my brain need to be good ones.
I also have an Apple TV and a small screen on my writing desk. I’ll put a movie on, with sound off – something that’s a visual distraction without taking me out of the work. Again, something familiar, something that doesn’t engage yet doesn’t bore. Something to look at when I’m thinking between sentences.
My desk has fidget toys. Mostly, sure, my hands are engaged on the keyboard, but for those moments (sometimes minutes) of thought, it’s good for them to have something to do.
I’ll light incense. I’ll drink coffee, or water.
Music means I don’t get distracted by sounds from outside my environment. The movie means my eyes don’t go hungry looking for something other than words on a screen. Fidget toys stop me from chewing on my nails—a habit from childhood that I’ve never managed to fully break. Scents and tastes are last on the list, but again, it’s about not being distracted in the wrong way.
This is what works best for me.
I’m a work in progress (aren’t we all?), and if you have a different take on this? I’d love to hear it. Contact page has the details.
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Caveat: My diagnosis is informal. I’m unmedicated, just raw-dogging my reality here—writing included.
Nothing I say here should be regarded as advice that supersedes that of a professional.