The lovely
Diedre mentioned in my Dear Lazy Writer post that her problem is maintaining focus.
She requested that I write a post about that. Well, Diedre, ask and you shall
receive!
Dear
Unfocused Writer,
Keeping
focus can be difficult with all of our distractions, daily life, and
procrastination. I’ve done a couple of posts about these like: Dear Distracted Writer and Dear Writer Not Writing. Not being able to stay focused can be due
in part to not being organized or just not buckling down.
Here
are my tips to maintain focus:
1.
Create a To-Do List.
Not
just a list of big goals or jobs but small, attainable tasks and list them in
order of priority, so the most important task is at the top. Keep this list at
your desk and look at it every morning. After you complete one task, cross it
off and move to the next. But give yourself short breaks every now and then to
give yourself a boost.
2.
Stay Organized
Keep
your desk clean, your papers filed in their proper place where you can easily
find them, and your email orderly. I have folders in my email for different
correspondences I need to keep. Such as: Editing Clients, Beta Readers, Blog
Tour, etc.
3. Use
a Calendar
I have
a calendar on my desk that I use to keep track of blog posts, guests, and other
daily tasks I need to remember. This helps me to focus on what is important for
that day. Then I move on to my to-do list.
4.
Don’t Procrastinate!
If you
don’t do it now, you won’t do it later because you’ll get too comfortable with
putting it off. Tell yourself to do it NOW, so you don’t have to do it later.
5.
Don’t Multi-Task
Do one
job at a time. This allows your brain to engage fully on the task at hand.
6.
Give Yourself Goals and a Reward.
Goals
like “Finish Chapter One Today” is a motivator. It’s not so big that it’ll drag
you down into procrastinating. You’ll want to sit down and get to work. Then when
you add a reward like an hour of reading time, a piece of chocolate, or movie
night, you’ll really want to complete the task to get your reward.
7.
Avoid Distractions
Stay
away from the Internet and mute your phone. These things hog your time and attention.
SEE: Dear Distracted Writer
8. Try
Meditating
Meditating
for at least 30 minutes a day can help you shut everything off so you can focus
easily on what you need to do.
9.
Light Incense or Burn Oil
The
scent of cinnamon is brain-boosting and helps the brain focus. I always burn
cinnamon oil when I write. Peppermint is also good. Drink peppermint tea to
boost brain function, too.
10.
Listen to Music or Use Sound-Canceling Headphones
Music
like Beethoven and Mozart has been proven to help people focus and to even
improve mental performance. If noise disrupts you, invest in sound-canceling
headphones to mute whatever is going on around you.
With
these tips, I hope you are a more focused writer.
Author of Hurricane Crimes, Seismic Crimes, 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and
Witch of Death. Blogger. Reader. Auntie. Vegetarian. Cat Lover.
QUESTION:
Which of this do you do? Which will you try?
