Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "writing-community"
The Curse of the Productivity Suckers
They can strike without warning. They’re all around you. In your home. At work. In your car. They can drain your time and energy quickly, leaving you panicked and frustrated when you return to reality.
They are Productivity Suckers. A vengeful and insidious curse that seeks to distract you for hours. Hours of scrolling. Hours of liking. Hours of watching. And once they get their hooks into you, it can be a struggle to escape their tentacles of destruction.
Any creative endeavor requires our full attention. Unfortunately, we live in a world where phones, tablets, computers, watches, cars, and in-home assistants like Alexa or Google Home provide endless distractions that can affect our ability as creators to get the work done.
I’ve fallen into this trap more than I care to admit. Still, I want to help myself and anyone else listening to break the cycle and get back to their writing, drawing, designing, or any other creative work they should be doing instead of doomscrolling on their phone watching the world implode.
One method I’ve found that works best for me is unplugging. I turn off my phone and my tablet, remove my watch, and even switch off Wi-Fi on my laptop so I guarantee I have fewer distractions as I sit down to write.
Another is removing technology for some stages of the process completely. I recently bought a roll of butcher paper. I cut it into sections, and use them on my wall to visually outline and work on projects. Using notecards, markers, and Post-its, I can work with my story on a larger scale than a computer screen and see the big picture of what I’m creating on the wall before me. It’s also a great way to escape from in front of the screen and actively add and remove cards as you work on your story.
Piggybacking on the no technology concept, take a few days a week and write with a pen and paper instead of on your computer. This also allows you to be more mobile, enabling you to write anywhere you wish. Maybe there’s a park or hiking spot you enjoy. Taking a journal and pen and writing out in nature is a great way to unplug, unwind, and unstick your creativity.
Technology is a blessing and a curse. And while I understand the need to escape and immerse yourself in a YouTube video on the history of linoleum at 3 AM, it’s also essential to use productivity suckers in moderation and for limited periods.
Your time writing and creating should outweigh any time you spend online, and in the end, you’ll have a piece of creative work that you've crafted and made a reality. And that’s better than any AI Slop the internet can produce.
Happy Creating, and I’ll see you next time!
They are Productivity Suckers. A vengeful and insidious curse that seeks to distract you for hours. Hours of scrolling. Hours of liking. Hours of watching. And once they get their hooks into you, it can be a struggle to escape their tentacles of destruction.
Any creative endeavor requires our full attention. Unfortunately, we live in a world where phones, tablets, computers, watches, cars, and in-home assistants like Alexa or Google Home provide endless distractions that can affect our ability as creators to get the work done.
I’ve fallen into this trap more than I care to admit. Still, I want to help myself and anyone else listening to break the cycle and get back to their writing, drawing, designing, or any other creative work they should be doing instead of doomscrolling on their phone watching the world implode.
One method I’ve found that works best for me is unplugging. I turn off my phone and my tablet, remove my watch, and even switch off Wi-Fi on my laptop so I guarantee I have fewer distractions as I sit down to write.
Another is removing technology for some stages of the process completely. I recently bought a roll of butcher paper. I cut it into sections, and use them on my wall to visually outline and work on projects. Using notecards, markers, and Post-its, I can work with my story on a larger scale than a computer screen and see the big picture of what I’m creating on the wall before me. It’s also a great way to escape from in front of the screen and actively add and remove cards as you work on your story.
Piggybacking on the no technology concept, take a few days a week and write with a pen and paper instead of on your computer. This also allows you to be more mobile, enabling you to write anywhere you wish. Maybe there’s a park or hiking spot you enjoy. Taking a journal and pen and writing out in nature is a great way to unplug, unwind, and unstick your creativity.
Technology is a blessing and a curse. And while I understand the need to escape and immerse yourself in a YouTube video on the history of linoleum at 3 AM, it’s also essential to use productivity suckers in moderation and for limited periods.
Your time writing and creating should outweigh any time you spend online, and in the end, you’ll have a piece of creative work that you've crafted and made a reality. And that’s better than any AI Slop the internet can produce.
Happy Creating, and I’ll see you next time!
