"Distracted from distraction by distraction
Filled with fancies and empty of meaning
Tumid apathy with no concentration"
--"Four Quartets" by T.S. Elliot
I'm starting to think that I have allowed myself too easy access to distractions. Email, chat, Facebook, blogs, and YouTube, all contribute to mental over stimulation and lack of focus. If my muse rebels against working on a particular page on my manuscript, then it is so very easy to jump over to check gchat and see who is talking to me or to facebook to see who has posted a pithy status message. I waste not only time, but mental energy bouncing around the Internet.
So, I'm now trying my hand at rationing my media usage and giving my mind long swaths of computer-free time to remember how to focus again. I have my AlphaSmart word processor which is great for Internet-less writing, and I might even drag out a good old fashioned pen and paper. I've also purchased a bunch of books that I want to read.
How do you avoid getting distracted?
2 comments:
I know exactly how you feel. I get far too easily caught up in Twitter and chat and such and find that I can lose hours at a time without realizing it.
I think you're on the right track with the AlphaSmart time. I also have to give myself special writing hours where I'm away from my computer or I never get anything done.
Distraction? I welcome distraction at the moment, because otherwise the blank page (screen) stares at me and mocks my inability to be coherent. And yes, I realize I need to block out some time and allow myself to be blocked.
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