Distractions

I am as easily distracted as a 3 year old. My attention seems to wander at all times. When I do focus, I'm unwavering, but it is something I have to work on.

The biggest problem is the amount of distractions I am bombarded with. Some are necessary, some aren't. Even now as I write this, I feel the lure of going and doing something else. Sitting here and finishing the post is taking all my focus.

Part of it's laziness. It is easier to go with the flow than make the effort to concentrate. Part of it is my own lack of organization. I was not born with the organizing gene, it is truly an effort to keep myself organized. Which is why I need lists. I need to write on a piece of paper what I need to do that day whether it's feeding the fish or writing 1500 words. Unfortunately I've been too distracted lately to sit down and write out what I need to do.

Anyway, I've committed myself to making writing a higher priority. All well and good but I'm having a hard time just writing. It isn't writer's block. It isn't a lack of time. It is distraction. Melissa sent me this article (she's always finding great articles online) and it really resonated with me. The author,Cory Doctorow, has really come up with some great strategies for those of us who are distracted. None of them take a great deal of effort to enact.

How do you battle distraction when you are writing?