Good morning, blog readers! Today’s post is not going to be about food. That is mostly due to the fact that I have not made anything for the past two days. First, we ordered in Pizza (we only get take-out once every few months, but I was having a busy day and simply didn’t have the energy to even think about it) and then Hubby made breakfast for dinner last night. So I have absolutely no food-related photos to share with you.
What I can share, however, is something about me. And my many distractions.
Distraction is something that every writer will have to face at some time or another. Of course, most people, whether they are writers or not, will experience it as well. But for me, distractions are a frequent–oh look! A puppy!
With four young children (aged 5, 4, and twin 1 year olds), I tend to get “distracted” rather frequently and very easily. My work is constantly set aside when my children require my attention, or they want juice, or they want to colour, or watch a movie, play a game, or… well, the list could go on.
I also get distracted easily without my children’s help. There are countless ways for one to get distracted; there are household chores, meals, tea, diaper changes, the dreaded to-do list, and the worst of all… social media. I enjoy it far too much. I am constantly on Facebook, Pinterest, and checking on my Twitter and Goodreads accounts. It is simply unfair how addictive social media has become, and as I am always on my computer, it is far too easy to click my internet button and browse my pages instead of writing or editing my next chapter.
The question is, as a writer, how do I keep myself focused on what I am writing and not on that tempting “safari” button at the bottom of my screen? Well, it’s simple. When I need to focus (when my kids are busy with other projects or they’re with their grandparents), I turn off my network. Easy as that. Sure, I find myself still clicking on my browser, but when the screen pops up saying “you are not connected to the network”, I remember that I should be working, so I close it down and get back to writing. It actually works very well with me. I can get right back to what I was writing, and after a short while, I stop clicking on my browser button.
Another of my biggest set-backs (which I mentioned above) is my “mom chores”. I have a great big to-do list of things that need to be accomplished around the house, permission slips that seemingly constantly need to be signed, meals to make, bottles to give, babies to cuddle, vacuuming and sweeping to do… The list, as I say, goes on. Of course, most of those things I will happily put aside my writing for. When my kids need me, I will always be there… I know they won’t want to cuddle me forever, so I take advantage of the time I have now.
That’s all for today! Thank you for reading!
What about you? What distracts you? What do you do to regain your focus?
(I found the included photos on Pinterest.)
Cheri Champagne's Blog 