Driven to Distraction, an IWSG post

      

Welcome to the first Wednesday of the month. You know what that means! It's time to let our insecurities hang out. Yep, it's the Insecure Writer's Support Group blog hop. If you're a writer at any stage of career, I highly recommend this blog hop as a way to connect with other writers for support, sympathy, ideas, and networking. If you're a reader, it's a great way to peek behind the curtain of a writing life.

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG. The awesome co-hosts for the May 1 posting of the IWSG are Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine!

May 1 question - How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?

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So, I'm one of those middle-aged women who found out she was ADD when her children were diagnosed and the waves of recognition splashed me in the face and left me sputtering. 

As a GenX woman who isn't hyperactive, I was always told that I was "right-brained" and encouraged to "develop discipline" or I'd never succeed in this world. 

And, so, I kind of did. 

Not that I recommend this approach for others--it was often painful along the way. My need for quiet was regarded as antisocial, rather than introversion or overstimulation and I spent a lot of time trying to be "normal." 

Now, I'm the list-making, calendar and alarm dependent sort of ADDer. And I just turned 53, so I've had a minute to understand my brain weasels and make peace with them, developing patterns that support me and help me get done what I need and want to get done. 

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At this point, I'm pretty good at self-regulation and using external support tools to ensure adequate productivity. My brain weasels aren't completely tamed, but they are mostly cooperative. 

My super power as a neuro-spicy gal, is that when I concentrate, I can really really concentrate. Once I'm "in the zone," I can fail to notice almost anything else, from big external things (like thunderstorms) to smaller internal things (like hunger) for as long as my focus period lasts. 

On the downside, it can be hard to settle into those deep concentration moments, and to make sure that, when I do, my focus is on the "right" thing. 

In my writing life, that means staying focused on the project at hand until I've finished it and not running madly down the street after the "new shiny" idea that wants to jump the line. 

So, I have two techniques that help me: 

1. Bribery: I promise myself that I can play with the new shiny, but only AFTER I work on the current project for a certain amount of time. (Oddly, promising myself different work motivates me to do work). Work first, then play, you silly little brain weasels. 

2. Ritual: I've tried to Pavlov myself, training myself to associate certain things with "writing time" so I can elicit that concentration regularly. I have a cup of Tension Tamer tea (smells like writing!), and I sit in my writing oasis on the green sofa (feels like writing!). So, the setting and the smell tell my brain, "It's writing time!" 

Distractions do still derail me sometimes…and sometimes, they absolutely should, because the health and wellbeing of my household is more important than my word count and my imaginary friends. 

It's always this balance of when to fight and when to give in to distraction. All work and no play does make a Jacqueline a dull girl, so sometimes a break in discipline is just the right thing and will feed future productivity, but too much distraction just builds disquiet and leaves me frustrated. 

While I do have to be disciplined about which project I keep my focus on and about just sitting down to write each day, I'm a complete pantser in the writing itself. I think this is the compromise with my brain weasels: we will be organized and focused about what we're doing, but have a lot of freedom to play once the parameters are set. 

How about you? When you struggle with distraction what works for you?