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This is my weekly installment of “writing about writing,” in which I scan the world for material to help other writers. Today I discuss the idea of a distractions list….
When you write, do you ever find yourself getting distracted?
Be honest now. Maybe it’s your phone. Perhaps it’s the lure of social media. Possibly it’s an emergency with your 7-year-old daughter.
So I have a somewhat counterintuitive suggestion for you, based on a recent blog post by productivity expert Chris Bailey. He suggests keeping a sheet of paper by your side to capture all the distractions that come up. He likes keeping his on 4×6-inch Post-it notes. Instead of dealing with those interruptions, he just writes them down.
Here’s what he says about the system:
“The key is to capture everything. When you want to stop working on what’s in front of you to check email, capture that on your distractions list so that you can re-focus on the task at hand. When you want to pick up your phone instead of writing, put that on the list too. When it occurs to you to follow up with someone, capture that as well.”
His idea reminds me of Warren Buffet’s “not to-do list“. The focus on the negative is intensely alluring to most humans (interestingly, much more motivating than positive messages) and the simplicity of the idea is also captivating.
Bailey adds: “Not all interruptions and distractions are within our control. But more often than not, the things that derail your attention as you work are. Keeping a distractions list is worthwhile if you want to focus more deeply and accomplish more in the same amount of time—while enjoying yourself guilt-free afterward.”
As a bonus to himself, when Baily has finished his writing (or other important task), he “rewards” himself by doing the tasks that had crossed his mind.
