Today's productivity advice comes from Jen Breach, author of more than thirty books. But first, the IWSG Blog Hop.
Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine.
Every month, the Insecure Writers Support Group hosts a blog hop with an optional question meant to inspire and encourage other writers. Special thanks to founder Alex Cavanaugh and to this month’s co-hosts, Victoria Marie Lees, Kim Lajevardi, Nancy Gideon, and Cathrina Constantine.
This month's question: How do you deal with distractions when you are writing? Do they derail you?
One of the best ways I've found to avoid distractions is through creative immersions and writing retreats, and I've blogged about their benefits before. I recently helped facilitate an amazing retreat at the Highlights Foundation called Writing Through Trauma to Empower Readers. But a retreat is a special event, not a weekly occurrence.
On a regular basis, I deal with distractions by grouping tasks (like running errands, making phone calls, or responding to email) together during one part of the day. I'm also a fan of setting a timer for writing (with no other activities allowed). Sometimes I purposely leave my phone in a different room. And lighting a candle is a butt-in-chair guarantee. I can't leave the candle unattended!
Distractions tend to be a short term problem. What about the long road? Thanks to Jen Breach for the guest post tacking this topic.
On a regular basis, I deal with distractions by grouping tasks (like running errands, making phone calls, or responding to email) together during one part of the day. I'm also a fan of setting a timer for writing (with no other activities allowed). Sometimes I purposely leave my phone in a different room. And lighting a candle is a butt-in-chair guarantee. I can't leave the candle unattended!
Distractions tend to be a short term problem. What about the long road? Thanks to Jen Breach for the guest post tacking this topic.
Embracing the Long Road: Productivity Guest Post by author Jen Breach
You know what works for lots of people? Setting daily writing goals. Four hundred words a day, two hours each morning before work, that sort of thing. Not me, though. My lil brain will go blank under the influence of strict rules, despite the best productivity intentions of routine. I need to follow whims of excitement and energy, within the bounds of deadlines, of course.
But I am not a rudderless ship, a stringless kite, a spiral-flying balloon with the air thpthpthpthping out of an uncinched neck. I just keep a longer creative view than day to day. Month to month suits me better. At the end of each month my trusted accountability crew and I share process letters. They are letters of reflection and gratitude, where self-awareness and honesty are celebrated. They go like this:
It never fails to surprise me what I have done in just a month, and the community who helped me get there one more time. And it never fails to inspire me to get my butt back in the seat and my fingers back on the keyboard. Writing is a long road, and counting in months makes sense to me.
But I am not a rudderless ship, a stringless kite, a spiral-flying balloon with the air thpthpthpthping out of an uncinched neck. I just keep a longer creative view than day to day. Month to month suits me better. At the end of each month my trusted accountability crew and I share process letters. They are letters of reflection and gratitude, where self-awareness and honesty are celebrated. They go like this:
- Hello: A paragraph about how I am doing. Not creatively, really, but general life stuff.
- What I Did This Month: A bullet pointed paragraph listing what I achieved (with whatever detail I want to share, or not). It’s kind of astonishing to reflect on a month’s worth of work all at once.
- What I Didn’t Do This Month, But Thought I Would: A bullet pointed paragraph listing what slipped, and why. No excuses, rather, objective reasons. A guilt-free zone.
- What I Intend to Do Next Month: A bullet pointed paragraph listing what I hope to achieve. I may roll over things I didn’t do that I thought I would, or I can let those go. Take a deep breath, get realistic, remember to leave space for fun stuff. Ambiguous phrases like “Start X,” “Work some more on Y,” “Keep going on Z,” are a-okay.
- Gratitude: A paragraph to reflect on all the people who kept you creative. Feel the feels, know that you are loved, remember who believes in you.
It never fails to surprise me what I have done in just a month, and the community who helped me get there one more time. And it never fails to inspire me to get my butt back in the seat and my fingers back on the keyboard. Writing is a long road, and counting in months makes sense to me.
More about Jen Breach:
Jen Breach (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary writer of 30 picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels for kids, including an eight book series featuring the first nonbinary main character for the age group, and a nonfiction about the politics of global foodways, which won a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection.
Jen Breach (they/them) is a queer, nonbinary writer of 30 picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels for kids, including an eight book series featuring the first nonbinary main character for the age group, and a nonfiction about the politics of global foodways, which won a Junior Library Guild gold standard selection.
Their latest book is Solstice: Around the World on the Longest, Shortest Day, in which we visit 14 children on June 21, summer solstice in the Northern hemisphere and winter solstice in the South. It's illustrated by 14 global artists, who illuminate their home countries with heart and authority.
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