Does this sound like you: You sit down to write, but only get a few sentences down before a text comes in and you have to check it. Then you try to write some more, but an email pops up and you need to respond. Then you’re barely back to writing before an Instagram notification dings and you want to check it. Before you know it, an hour of your “writing time” has disappeared and you’ve barely done anything.
Studies have shown that it takes 23 minutes to refocus on a task after a distraction. TWENTY. THREE. MINUTES. That’s a long time! If you’re in the flow of writing or brainstorming and things are going smoothly, it only takes one little notification to completely throw off your rhythm and waste over twenty minutes trying to find it again.
Enter the idea of “deep work.” This is a phrase coined by Cal Newport in his book of the same title, and while it applies to a variety of careers and people, it’s an especially important topic to know if you’re a writer or creative.
Deep work refers to the practice removing any and all potential distractions so that you can completely focus on your main project and actually be productive, instead of jumping back and forth between multiple tasks and not getting much of anything done. This means that when you’re working on a book, you can fully immerse yourself in your book world and get better writing done because you’re not continually trying to resituate your brain and your imagination from the “real world” to the one you’re creating.
To help you work more deeply, here are a few tips.
Create a success list, not a to-do list
To truly benefit from deep work, you need to be working on something that actually matters. Instead of cluttering your day with sending emails, scheduling meetings, or any of the other myriad tasks that suck up time but don’t give much in return, pick your top 3-5 things that, if they were all you got done that day, would make you feel successful, and not like the day was a waste. Schedule these into your day first, giving yourself big blocks of time to work on them. Then give yourself time for all the small things. By prioritizing your to-do list, you know what is truly most deserving of your time and attention, which will help you fully commit to these projects when it’s time to work on them.
Put your phone away. Seriously.
I’m actually a big proponent of turning off basically all notifications on your phone. The only alerts I get are texts (I still can’t give those up) and reminders. Anything else—email, social media, even news—I’ve learned that it’s really not going to be a big deal if I don’t get those notifications until later when I decide to check the app. This is helpful for being more present throughout the day, but when you sit down to work, you need to go a step further.
A 2017 study showed that just having your phone near you, even if it’s turned off, can still distract you and reduce your cognitive ability. Smartphones have taken over so many parts of our lives—they’re our watches, alarm clocks, almost the only form of communication and entertainment, to do lists, etc.—and so even being near them triggers your brain to want to interact with it. So when you sit down to do deep work, leave your phone in a different room if possible. Or lock it in a drawer. Just put it somewhere out of reach and where you can’t see it.
Declutter your computer
If your internet browser looks anything like mine, you probably have at least a dozen tabs open at all times. Not to mention multiple Word documents, that sticky note app, Spotify…You get the picture. When you sit down to work, close anything that isn’t related to the task at hand. Emails, YouTube, other projects: it all needs to go. Just like having your phone nearby is a distraction even when it’s off, having other tabs and programs open that aren’t relevant to your main focus offers a temptation of something else to do.
Honestly, it’s best to write without even having the internet as an option at all. I know, I know, you need it for research. But unless you’re in the research phase of your novel, you can probably get by with creating a list of questions to look up later after you’re done with this writing session.
Create a time management system
Getting yourself to work deeply is much easier when you have a set time period, not just “work until I don’t feel like working.” I’ve already written about Parkinson’s Law in depth, so try setting a specific length of time to reach your writing goal for the day, and stick to it.
Another strategy is called the Pomodoro Technique. You’ve probably heard of it, but this one is based off the theory that your productivity goes down if your work more than 25 minutes at one time. Instead, work for 25 minutes, give yourself a five-minute break, then return to working, repeating this cycle for as long as you gave yourself to complete your goal. In other words, if, to follow Parkinson’s Law, you gave yourself one hour to write 300 words, you’d actually spend 50 minutes of the hour writing, and 10 minutes taking a short break.
This may seem counterintuitive to deep work, but it all depends on how you spend your break. Don’t stay on your screen and check email or social media—this only clogs up your mental to-do list. Instead, stand up, walk around, maybe read something short, chat with somebody. Keep your phone put away, though. This will give your brain time to refresh after a steady work session without completely distracting you from the task at hand.
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What’s your biggest distraction when working? How do you overcome it? Have you used any of these techniques? Let me know in the comments!
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Featured image by Leone Venter
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