[tentblogger-vimeo 21756067]
This morning I was having a very deep conversation with my 3-month old daughter about “distractions” and how I can manage them better as a writer and a blogger.
Check out the above video and I’d love to hear your thoughts on how you manage distractions personally!
One of my favorite "distraction" comics.
Have a great day and try to not be distracted!
I just take a total break if things get too crazy. I recently switched over to WordPress, and it has been great!
By the way, how do you download the plugins?
you can download them at http://wordpress.org directly or through your wordpress directly.
I usually write when I’m home alone. Or, I’ll write after my wife is asleep. I recently found out my wife and I are expecting our first little one. So, that will be a new GOOD distraction to handle.
Congrats brother!
Thanks!
Congrats Joseph!
Thanks Guys!
Congratulations Joseph!
Thanks Alex!!
whoa! congrats!
I honestly try and write for my site as early in the morning as possible. So no one is awake or no one is in the office yet.
I also try and only have my browser or writing tool open at that time. I turn off all other things.
I then hit my commute – re-read and fix any errors and usually post it up same day.
I have been on a roll though and am about two days ahead in writing so far.
great strategy. i try to write early in the morning too!
Who shot the picture behind you? (Sorry, I got distracted because it looks like a Jason Wallis shot).
I’m brand new to the blogging world, and right now I’m jumping on any distraction that comes my way. Twitter, Facebook, other blogs, etc. I’m generally aware that I’m doing it and there is usually a direct correlation between the number of distractions that I indulge and the degree of transparency in the post I’m developing.
So far, my best self-management tool is to set an arbitrary deadline and at least knock out a draft by the deadline.
yes. totally arbitrary timelines can definitely work!
Most effective method so far: hide!
That’s right…when I need to get work done…I shut my office door, turn off my lights…and pretend I’m not here. I need alone time to get work done. My biggest source of distractions is folks wanting to “talk” when they could have more easily “emailed”.
ah. love this! it’s hard for me to do that right now…!
I’ve realized that calling some things (facebook, twitter, RSS feed) a distraction is really just a gentle way of saying I have no discipline or focus. The solution is just to – exercise discipline and focus!
Then there are other distractions like co-workers, family, etc. The best advice I would give is to anticipate distractions and not view them as unwelcome annoyances. Rather than telling yourself that you are entitled to a distraction free environment, tell yourself that you are a serious blogger and can accommodate distractions – especially from loved ones.
yes. it’s hard at times to recognize loved ones as NOT distractions…
Clever post, and great question.
For noise distractions: http://www.amazon.com/North-Muffler-Collapsible-Hearing-Protector/dp/B001PUZSV0
For any other kind:
Work early in the morning before most are awake.
Work late at night when most are asleep.
Work in another location like a library.
Deactivate the Internet for blocks of time.
Love Standard Theme and can’t wait to switch over!
another noise-blocker I like is good ol’ white noise. Check out http://www.simplynoise.com. It’s amazing how that will block out background noise.
sweet! i’m going to check this out!
I can’t believe how soothing that sounds…. never tried it before, but I’m a fan now.
That is neat! thanks for the share.
can’t wait to see you make the switch!
PEOPLE are distractions! I try to get as far away from people as possible when I am trying to blog!
I think that if you are around people it’s very important to establish some kind of “in the zone policy” (have you ever seen the movie The Social Network, they get “Wired in”!).
Having headphones is a great way to discourage people from talking to you, and a great excuse to ignore people.
It’s official. I am a horrible person.
headphones are absolutely necessary! music is a must-have!
I played with a baby today too; she was also a beautiful distraction. But I didn’t have the foresight to make a video. This was very creative, John!
marcy,
thanks man! i love her so much!
I am still trying to answer this question. With my upcoming marriage (only 2 weeks away!) and a full-time job I haven’t had much time to much writing at all.
My biggest distraction is things that are “urgent but not important” as Steven Covey would say. To overcome it I have rigorously scheduled my time so that I have specific blocks of time twice a week to spend writing. It helps some, but also increases my stress a bit.
alex, congrats! where are you headed for your honeymoon?
Jamaica! We will be going to an all-inclusive resort for a week! 7 days to unplug from the world, enjoy some relaxation and, not worry about money. I am very excited! lol
yikes… that sounds awesome!
John, my website traffic in February compared to March when up a little over 3% in March compared to February from 31.45% to 34.71% for organic traffic. I had a post in February that really padded my stats where I featured a mentor of mine in my blog. That got me tons of traffic. However, I need to work on the opt-in rate. Of all the traffic I think I only got about 3 or 4 opt-ins. That means what I’m providing is not valuable to my market. I need to continue to work on that and track the progress. Awesome post!
lincoln… were you supposed to post this on my other recent post about traffic?
John, I could not pay attention to a word you said because Arden captured all of it. She’s freakin adorable!
Managing distractions, that’s an interesting concept that I stopped trying to do. Instead I just decided to try and go with the flow, see where each distraction takes me.
It’s like a choose your own adventure.
hehe. thanks ben!
I mostly work and write at night. Helps that I’m a night owl. It’s peaceful – no phone, emails stops coming in and I like the house being dark and only my desk light being on – makes me feel like I’m in a cocoon and I’m super productive. (helps having a warm snoring puppy lying on your feet too
)
working at night is awesome. i’m doing that right now….!
John…OMG your sweet little Arden girl is adorable!! The best kind of distraction possible! I too have 3 little ones, all boys. To be honest, blogging is a distraction from my family, which is my first priority.
So, I usually wait until the kids are in bed to blog. During naptime I will respond to comments, read/comment on other blogs, etc. But, significant writing/research/study cannot take place in an atmosphere of constant interruption or anxiety that a child is too quite and may be hurting himself, or perhaps eating dog food (this has happened).
I recently read Stephen King’s awesome little book “On Writing” in which he advises to write in the same place and same time every day. Of course, this may not be possible for some. But, I have found that that is extremely helpful for me. I tried going to Starbucks or the library, but I got so entranced in “people watching” or just admiring the surroundings (we have a pretty awesome library) that I couldn’t write! Also, I definitely have to log out of all other apps, like FB or Twitter, or even gmail.
thanks keri! i think so too.
you just put king’s book on my list of things to read…. thanks!