Staying Focused

This guest post is contributed by Debra Johnson, blogger and editor of Liveinnanny.com.  This is one writer who knows how to maintain her focus to get her writing done
As a writer, staying focused on my writing is often one of the most difficult parts of my day. I mean, I have so many distractions around me. Facebook and texts, co-workers and family, even music can get me off of my writing train and derail my thought process. In order to stay focused while writing you need to:1.                 Keep your cool – Believe it or not the temperature in the room can affect your concentration level. A cool room is better for your brain than a hot one, though if it gets too cold that can cause problems too. But a hot temperature can make you sleepy, nauseated, and even overheated.
2.      Keep it quiet – I know that music is your muse, but studies have found that silence works best for higher thinking. If you are just doing point and click tasks then music is fine, but if you are really trying to write turn it off. If you play music to drown out other auditory distractions, then choose your music wisely. Pick instrumental music r songs with lyrics in a language you do not understand to reduce distraction. Keep the sound down low, just loud enough to cover up the other noises.
3.      Make time to write – If you do not set aside strict times to write you will never get anything done. There will always be something else to do or someone demanding your attention. Be firm and stay strong.4.      Say no – People will want to disturb you while you are writing. They do not understand that writers get into a flow and once you break it they have a hard time getting back on track. Make sure you tell people no when they come to you with requests during writing time. You can tend to them later, right now is your time to write.
5.      Edit later – If you stop to correct every misspelled word or fragmented sentence you will lose your train of thought and everything will take you twice as long. Go back and fix mistakes when you finish writing. Now is the time to keep the flow going.
6.      Write down your ideas – One problem that many writers have is that they have tons of great ideas but they feel like they can’t get them out in time. What you need to do is write notes on your ideas. Get them out of your head and down where you can’t forget them. That way you can relax and enjoy writing instead of trying to keep two things (or more) in your head at one time.
7.      Reread your work –It is always a good idea to reread what you have written, even if you just finished writing it a minute ago. Every break you take or stop you make is an opportunity for you to lose the focus of your writing. Remind yourself where you were going and what your point was.
     These are just a few ideas to help you stay focused in your writing. There are many more ways that you may find work for you as you write. Remember to keep your eyes on the goal and distractions to a minimumDebra Johnson, blogger is a busy writer and editor, but she still welcomes your comments at jdebra84@gmail.com.