For every self-employed writer, maintaining concentration on a particular assignment can sometimes be a difficult process, especially when there are so many distractions that can get in the way. What started out as a highly productive day could soon become a completely wasted few hours if great care isn’t taken. The blare of TVs and radios in the background, for example, can soon take the individual’s mind away from the task in hand.
Of course, it’s easy to switch these gadgets off in order to acquire a little peace and to get on with the day’s work, but it’s not so easy to do that with a mobile phone. Many writers simply have to keep their cellphones switched on in order to remain in contact with clients or colleagues, and therein lies a problem. With the huge number of applications on the modern units, there are simply too many things to tempt the mind away from work.
In the days when a phone was simply used for making and receiving calls, it was an unobtrusive little item that rarely proved to be a distraction, but that’s all changed now. Many people, not just writers, find it difficult to get through an hour or two, let alone a whole day, without updating their Facebook statuses, for example, or without catching up with the latest opinions of friends and various celebrities on Twitter.
Stop playing and get writing!
And then there are the games as well. Should I work on this particular paragraph because it doesn’t sound quite right yet or should I see if I can guess what my brother has created on Draw Something? Do I have time to have another go on Words with Friends or should I finish this travel article I’ve been working on? We all know the sensible answer to these questions, of course, but are we all strong enough to make the right choice?
As well as interactive games, there’s also a wide range of informative and helpful apps just waiting to catch your attention. These can involve anything from creating special effects on photographs to viewing the latest bargain on auction websites. The days when the phone was just a tool for speaking are long gone now, and the chances are they will become even more distracting in the coming years.
Many writers (not all of us, I might add) are notoriously open to distraction, so it can be difficult to ever complete a full day’s work. My advice, even though it may create problems for the individual, is to switch the phone off for two or three hours at a time. Then you can switch it back on while you have a coffee break, and catch up with all the phone-related issues that you may have. Self-discipline is often a more important writing tool than a keyboard!
Of course, it’s easy to switch these gadgets off in order to acquire a little peace and to get on with the day’s work, but it’s not so easy to do that with a mobile phone. Many writers simply have to keep their cellphones switched on in order to remain in contact with clients or colleagues, and therein lies a problem. With the huge number of applications on the modern units, there are simply too many things to tempt the mind away from work.
In the days when a phone was simply used for making and receiving calls, it was an unobtrusive little item that rarely proved to be a distraction, but that’s all changed now. Many people, not just writers, find it difficult to get through an hour or two, let alone a whole day, without updating their Facebook statuses, for example, or without catching up with the latest opinions of friends and various celebrities on Twitter.
Stop playing and get writing!
And then there are the games as well. Should I work on this particular paragraph because it doesn’t sound quite right yet or should I see if I can guess what my brother has created on Draw Something? Do I have time to have another go on Words with Friends or should I finish this travel article I’ve been working on? We all know the sensible answer to these questions, of course, but are we all strong enough to make the right choice?
As well as interactive games, there’s also a wide range of informative and helpful apps just waiting to catch your attention. These can involve anything from creating special effects on photographs to viewing the latest bargain on auction websites. The days when the phone was just a tool for speaking are long gone now, and the chances are they will become even more distracting in the coming years.
Many writers (not all of us, I might add) are notoriously open to distraction, so it can be difficult to ever complete a full day’s work. My advice, even though it may create problems for the individual, is to switch the phone off for two or three hours at a time. Then you can switch it back on while you have a coffee break, and catch up with all the phone-related issues that you may have. Self-discipline is often a more important writing tool than a keyboard!
David Showell is a UK-based individual who spends far too much time on his cellphone. He does the occasional bit of work, of course, but he’s more proud of the car he recently created on Draw Something.
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