Every writer, myself included, has fallen into the trap of losing focus while writing. We sit at our writing spaces, intending to get lots of writing done, but we lose focus. Before we know it, we’ve spent two hours surfing the web, and we’re nowhere close to getting anything done. If you sometimes feel too unfocused to write, I will share three easy ways to refocus your writing time to improve your writing productivity.
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Too unfocused to write? You are not alone.
When you sit down to write, do you constantly check your phone or your email? It’s no secret that distractions are all around us. Sometimes it’s the phone or doorbell ringing, while other times, it’s us pushing our writing to the side to do something else.
According to a ComScore study, we spend at least three hours on our smartphones every day. So every time we stop writing to deal with our smartphones, emails, or other unplanned distractions, it can take up to 23 minutes to recover. Whether you write full-time or part-time, your time is precious. If we’re not careful, we end up wasting more time doing other things besides writing.
Frustrated with my own unproductive writing time, I decided to monitor what was going on by tracking my steps. I paid close attention to:
- how I started each writing session,
- at what point I stopped writing,
- what types of things distracted me most, and
- how much time passed before I returned to my writing.
As a result, I decided to make several changes, but I’m sharing three easy ways to help you get your writing back on track.
The three easy ways to help refocus your writing.
1. Calendarize your writing tasks
Every morning, I write down my to-do list for the day. I only focused on the tasks I had to complete for my full-time job as a corporate communicator, eventually carrying this habit into my consulting business. But I never included my writing tasks. Without including my writing tasks as part of my daily list of things to do, I easily lost my focus.
Now, I use two tools to keep me on track. First, I use my Google calendar to write down all of my tasks for the week. As I complete tasks throughout the week, I cross them off the list. The second tool I use is a desktop whiteboard which I update at the start of each day. On my desktop whiteboard, I write down the writing tasks I plan to work on for the day.
2. Time your writing sessions
Nothing helps me focus my writing sessions more than doing sprints. As a writer, it would be great to sit down and write for three or four hours non-stop. But life happens, and like many writers, I have to devote my time to other responsibilities. To manage all of my tasks, including my writing sessions, I set a timer for each task.
I have lots of apps in my arsenals like the PomoDoneApp and BeFocusedPro (in the Apple App Store) that allow me to use an electronic timer to time my writing sessions. My favorite program is RescueTime which offers FocusTime, where I can set a timer for 30 minutes or 2 hours. Also, FocusTime automatically blocks distracting websites I might try to sneak in when I lose focus.
3. Walk away from your writing session
After calendarizing my writing tasks and timing my writing sessions, I still had one obstacle to overcome: controlling my movement. After years of sitting at a desk, I was eager to start working at a standing desk with a floor mat. Despite being eager to work in my new writing environment, I still felt the urge to walk away from my writing project when I got stuck or lost my focus.
As it turns out, studies show that getting up and walking around for five minutes every hour can help you regain focus. In the study, employees who were allowed to walk for 30-minutes before working for five-hour stretches were happier and had less fatigue than the employees who weren’t allowed to move. So I made myself a deal. After each 25-minute writing sprint, I take a five-minute break. After five consecutive 25-minute writing sessions, I take a 20-minute break. By walking away from writing, I’m able to refocus and return refreshed.
Find Your Writing Blockers
Every writer must come to terms with the potential blockers that keep them from writing. Find out what causes you to lose your focus when writing. Is your writing environment loud, uncomfortable, or distracting? Within five minutes of your writing time, are you interrupted by something? Are you too tired to write? Once you find your writing blockers, deal with them quickly, or they will rob you of your precious writing time.
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For more information on how to manage your writing life, check out these articles:
How to Bend Time to Fit Writing into your Busy Life
6 Powerful Time Management Solutions for Time-Crunched Writers
10 Awesome Tips on How to Overcome Time Anxiety When Writing
I’d love to help you as you take the next steps in your writing life. To get started, complete this form to let me know about your current nonfiction writing project and needs.
