The Distracted Writer by Shannon Redmon

Every been smack dab in the middle of writing an amazing story scene when the dog, cat or toddler runs into your room or your wonderful partner plops down for an untimely discussion that completely rips you from the concentrated effort to be creative?

Then this post is for you.

Sorting the “Must-Dos” from the “Should-Dos” by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu

I returned from a writing conference about two weeks ago, and I’m still working through the things I learned and my list of “To-Dos.”

…And there goes another gopher!

Sorry. We have 13-striped gophers digging up our lawn. The little pests are quick, persistent, and annoying. And they keep distracting us from the more important tasks of mowing the grass, mulching, killing weeds, and enjoying the view.

I learned a lot at the conference—about writing, editing, and marketing. I learned that I “should do” more with social media and my website. I should make sure I have a privacy policy clearly posted on my website and that I am compliant with GDPR regulations. I should send out my newsletter at least monthly. I should learn to use Instagram. I should send thank you notes to the agents and editors I met with. I should check out the websites and apps that can streamline my marketing efforts.

By Phil Myers, Museum of Zoology,
University of Michigan  [Public domain],
via Wikimedia Commons

After all those “should-dos,” where does my writing fit in? That, for me, has to be a “Must-Do,” but it often gets shunted aside.

It’s the perennial battle for writers—learning to focus on the writing without getting sidetracked by the gophers (as in “go” to Facebook, Pinterest, Goodreads).

I don’t have easy answers. I know these are the things I must do, if I want to succeed at being a professional writer:

• Send those thank you notes. (Check.)
• Revise my WIP based on what I learned. (In progress.)
• Figure out the GDPR requirements. (Not started yet.)
• Stay active on social media, but limit my time there—30 minutes a day should be enough. (Working on it.)
• Develop a plan, a routine that will make those 30 minutes a day more productive an efficient. (Started.)
• And, of course, write the next book.

Each of those six “Must-Dos” has several parts to it, so it’s not as easy as it looks. And I need to trap the “Should-Do” gophers and leave them in their holes until later.

It’s a never-ending challenge, but it can be done. If I don’t control the “Should-Dos,” the pesky gophers will take over and keep me from the “Must-Dos.”

But knowing that prioritizing is a “Must-Do” doesn’t help me prioritize. So I took a few minutes to look for a program or app that might work. And I found this article (https://zapier.com/blog/best-todo-list-apps/) that discusses the different types of To-Do lists and available apps to help you keep track.

I’m not sure if any of those apps will work for me, so for now, I think I’ll go back to my old stand-by prioritizer that I wrote about here a few months ago (https://seriouslywrite.blogspot.com/2018/01/juggling-your-life-by-marie-wells-coutu.html).

Chasing those gophers will probably fall pretty far down the list.

What tips do you have for separating your “Must-Dos” from your “Should-Dos”?

About the Author

The Secret Heart
by Marie Wells Coutu

Marie Wells Coutu began making up stories soon after she began talking. Her most recent title, The Secret Heart, and its prequel, an e-book novelette titled The Divided Heart, are published by Write Integrity Press, along with the award-winning For Such a Moment and Thirsting for More. She and her husband divide their time between Iowa, near their two children and four grandchildren, and Florida, where it’s warm all winter. Marie is working on a historical novel set in western Kentucky, her home state.

Marie is a regular contributor to Seriously Write. For more posts by Marie, click here.

Tips to Keep Distractions from Veering You Off Course

Me - Dora Hiers

This spring, hubby and I purchased a new car. Before that, I drove a Ford Explorer, which I loved, but now that it's mostly me and the dog tooling around, it seemed pointless to drive such a big car. And gas? Nothing like watching $70 drain out of a tank, right?

So when the Explorer got to be of age, I set out to find a car with better gas mileage, but it had to be sporty and roomy enough to accommodate our full-figured Golden Retriever.

We decided on a Hyundai Santa Fe. I could ramble all day about the features. Heated seats, shiftronic capability (the ability to switch between automatic and stick~don't get me going on that!), great gas mileage, and ...

<--- check this out!

An electronic digital display estimates my average miles per gallon. What?? Do you know that you can boost your gas mileage by taking your foot off the accelerator for a few seconds? Well, I am all over that! That's why I got the car, right?

So, instead of focusing on the road, sometimes I would find myself honing in on that blue line, getting giddy as it edged closer to 50 mpg. I mean, really. How cool is that?

But then a honk would get my attention. Or moseying off the side of the road...

It's the same with our writing, isn't it? We allow distractions to take our attention away from getting words on the page. Those interruptions and diversions will drain our writing time and cause us to veer off the road, er...not accomplish anything that day.

Here are some suggestions that help me stay on track:

Determine your most productive time and stick to it. Early on, I recognized my most productive time of the day was in the morning, so that’s when I write. After breakfast and quiet time, I respond to emails and check social media briefly, and then immediately start writing. Every thirty minutes I get up and stretch, occasionally hit the restroom or refresh my drink. I don’t answer the phone unless it’s my husband, and I schedule all appointments for afternoons. Figure out your most productive time and do your best to work with it within the confines of your schedule. 

If you work a full time job, but your fingers fly across the keyboard in the mornings, can you get up a few minutes early to write? If your mind comes alive late at night, carve out some time after the kids go to bed to write. If your day consists of taxiing your kids around from football to gymnastics, you may have to adjust to lugging a laptop or tablet and squeezing word counts in fifteen minute increments. As much as possible, whenever you write, guard that time.

Set a goal. Set a realistic word count goal for the day, and then map it out for the entire year. Sounds like a lot of work, but it’s actually a great tool to help you see what you can accomplish if you cut out the distractions. Ask your spouse or a friend to keep you accountable by asking how many words you wrote that day.

Recognize your priorities. My recent college grad lived at home for a short time while he searched for a job. When he sauntered in my office, no matter the time, I was all ears because I recognized time with him was short, so talking with him was a priority. Occasionally, I found it necessary to adjust my word count while he was living with us, which I did, willingly.

Eliminate unnecessary distractions. Do whatever it takes to eliminate distractions. The biggest distraction for me is the Internet. There are apps available to disconnect from the Internet for extended periods of time, or you can just set a timer to alert you when your break is over.

What about you? How do you minimize your distractions?

Care to share the tips that work for you?

Journey's End
Purchase Link

Devastated after the brutal murder of her husband, Chelsea Hammond vows never to love another lawman. Intent on rebuilding her shattered life, she turns her focus to helping troubled teens. But when an angry father bent on retaliation, threatens her, Chelsea must turn to the one man she never thought to trust: Deputy U.S. Marshal Trey Colten. 

Trey wants only to protect Chelsea, but she blames him for her husband’s death. Trey can relate. He blames himself, also. As danger lurks, Trey begs Chelsea to heed his warnings. He let down one Hammond. He won’t let down another—especially one who now holds his heart.

When Chelsea is snatched from her home, can she put aside her fear, and trust Trey with her life? Can she forgive him for destroying her past and let him help to rebuild her future?

Distractions by Martha Rogers

Martha Rogers shares how distractions aren't just harmless time-wasters, but detract from our goals and our ministry. Even published authors can sometimes get bogged down by distractions. But don't worry, she also gives us the weapons to defeat those who oppose us.  Take heart! ~ Angie

“Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.”’

Isaiah 30:21

Distractions of everyday life and things happening around us may cause us to lose our focus on what we are doing and we may not hear what God is telling us. Our enemy causes major distractions because the enemy is in opposition to us and what we are doing.

Usually the smaller distractions of our children or home only take us away from our tasks for short periods and are necessary to keep our families running smoothly. The larger distractions come in many forms.  One of them is the distraction that comes with a newly published book that calls for promotion and marketing. If we’re not careful, the business of promotion can fill our time and take away from our main focus on the Lord and what He wants us to.

The Lord wants us to have success. He cheers us on to victory. We hear His voice behind us telling us the way to go, but the enemy is always lurking around the corner to see how he can cause trouble and disharmony in our lives. He can take good things and turn them to his ways just as God can take the bad things and turn them to good. Remember, too, that the enemy is persistent.

We must be ever vigilant against the wiles of our enemy. He comes in many forms, even through our families and friends. We must focus on what God is telling us and where God is leading us, not what others have to say.

Satan can attack and distract us with a few unkind letters from readers, a rejection from an editor who really liked the manuscript, but couldn’t use it, negative remarks from a friend or family member, or negative feedback from a contest judge or critique reader. He loves to plant seeds of doubt, pull us away from our focus and cause us to lose sight of God’s plan.

The song “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” tells us to “look full in his wonderful face.”

When we do, the distractions fade away and we are able to bask in the light of His glory and grace.  Let us listen to that voice from behind telling us, “this is the way; walk in it.” 

 Heavenly Father, may our sight be focused on You this week. May our eyes be fully trained on You so that we hear Your voice telling us the way we should go. 

Martha Rogers is a freelance author of both fiction and non-fiction and a speaker. Her stories and articles have appeared in a number of compilations and magazines. Her first fiction novella was released in 2007. Her latest release is Winter Promise, (Seasons of the Heart series).

Her experiences as a public school teacher, Sunday school teacher, youth leader, First Place leader, Mom and Grandmother give Martha a unique field of ministry. 

Martha is am alumni of CLASS and is available to speak at Women's Retreats, conferences, and luncheons on topics of interest to women of all ages. As an author, she is available to speak at writing conferences and workshops on a variety of topics of interest to writers.

Her tagline is Touching Hearts...Changing Lives

Keep in Contact with Martha:

www.marthawrogers.com

www.marthasbooks.blogspot.com

www.justthewritecharisma.blogspot.com