Writing and Distractions ~ by Jacquolyn McMurray

In a world where multitasking is the order of the day and distractions are abundant, I’m determined to organize my life into chunks of time so I can concentrate on a single task. This takes planning and a promise to myself I won’t get too anal if my plans don’t pan out. 
  
I’ve been on this mission for about three months and have discovered a few tricks that help me carve out dedicated time for writing.  Fortunately, my plan works at least part of the time. 

A common topic among authors is how much time to spend on social media. My schedule is different from day to day, but I typically start my morning with a hot cup of coffee with plenty of cream, thank you, and a scroll through my email, lest I miss the email proclaiming my latest submission to be extraordinary.

Later in the day, often with a bowl of ice cream between me and my keyboard, I scan Facebook/Pinterest/blog posts. My latest obsession is following the Amazon rankings on the recent release of a boxed set I’m in—Christmas Cookie Kisses. I allow myself three visits a day. I only cheat occasionally.


I tend to get antsy if I sit too long, so I build in a few household/farm chores as breaks in my writing time. At least once an hour, I spring to my feet and start a load of laundry, chop vegetables, or feed the chickens and steal their eggs. 

My brain stays mostly in my story, unless I stumble across some fascinating distraction... like stubborn stains on my favorite shirt, unidentifiable food in my refrigerator, or baby chicks. 

Instead of my old system of using scratch paper to jot down things to remember and hoping the slips of paper don't blow away in a gust of wind, I keep a spiral notebook at my side while I’m writing.  When a random thought interrupts me, I jot it down and go right back to what I’m doing, except when the idea demands immediate exploration... like how many years Phantom of the Opera has performed on Broadway. 

Be assured, sometime later in the week after I’ve memorized every song from Phantom, and explored all other musicals scored by Andrew Lloyd Webber, I’m right back at my WIP.

courtesy: YouTube

Like many of us who work in a home office or studio, keeping distractions at bay is akin to fighting off mosquitos. They may not land and bite us, but they’ll buzz in our ears and get trapped under our bifocals until all we can think about is how to get rid of the pesky insects. 

Gotta’ go. Our daughter just texted photos of the grandsons.