I’ve been having trouble writing lately. Even when I carve out some time to do it, small distractions to start to creep in. Before I know it, I haven’t thought about writing in six hours and am well into my work day.
One thing I like to do when this happens is look to real authors for inspiration. Recently I came across this interview of Nathan Englander on the Daily Beast and found this gem:
Turn off your cell phone. Honestly, if you want to get work done, you’ve got to learn to unplug. No texting, no email, no Facebook, no Instagram. Whatever it is you’re doing, it needs to stop while you write.
My extended periods of concentration tend to get killed by two things: (1) the desire for instant gratification by finding a smaller/easier piece of work or entertainment, and (2) communication interrupts. The smartphone acts as the main delivery vector for both these things.
Now it’s time to disable wi-fi and turn off my phone and get some work done.
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