Stepping Away from the World to Get into the Zone

 

Photo Credit: Ron Lach via Pexels

Sometimes, the world is just too loud.

 

I don’t mean loud on an audible level. I’m Deaf, so noise doesn’t bother me. I mean loud on a mental level.

 

There are all of these things constantly going on: Social media feeds, emails, TV, outside distractions and books. Especially books!

 

And sometimes, I just need to step away from it all in order to write.

 

But before I can write, I need to get into a zone. If I know what I’m going to write, then I focus myself mentally and, if needed, emotionally for that particular kind of work.

 

In other words, I get into a zone.

 

“Being in the zone” typically means that you get so caught up with the work you are doing that you start to hyperfixate on it. You can’t focus on anything else until you are done with the work.

 

This will happen to me sometimes, but there is another kind of zone that I get myself into as well.

 

The zone that helps me to write.

 

Like I said, knowing what I need to write will help me to figure out what kind of zone I need to get into. But if I don’t know what I want to write, only that I WANT or NEED to write, then I shut down. I don’t look at my phone, read anything, check email, make any phone calls or go anywhere. No, I just sit in a place where I won’t be disturbed and get myself into a zone where I will be able to write something.

 

All of the stuff that we are exposed to every day – phone apps, TV shows, movies, music, videos, hobbies and activities – tend to distract us from tuning into our creativity. We get so caught up with these things and so distracted that we forget who we are: Writers. And we forget what we must do: Write.

 

So for this reason, it’s a good idea to occasionally step away from all of those things and focus on our ability to write.

 

This is why I often write first thing in the morning, before I do or see or read anything else. I put myself 100% into the task of writing and be 100% present for the work. I’ll put my phone upside down so it won’t distract me, keep the TV off so that it won’t distract me, and sit down to write in a place where I won’t be able to pick up a book or magazine to read. (One of the desks I write at is next to a bookcase, but all of the books on there are reference books, so I won’t pick one up to read unless I need to look something up – though I often use Google for that!)

 

But on the days when I don’t write first thing in the morning, I’ll still make sure that, when I need to write something, I get myself into the zone for writing first. That’s when I’m not available for chats or to answer emails or … whatnot. No, I’m focused on the work that I must do, and I must not allow myself to be distracted by other things.

 

This has helped me to get quite a bit of writing done far more effectively than other strategies. Sometimes, I just need to step away from everything going on in the world and all around me to get into the right headspace so that I can write. Doing this has also helped me to write on certain topics or in certain genres that required my full attention.

 

Some writers try to achieve this by changing their environment, routines, clothing or writing space. And all of those things can be very effective to help writers get into the zone to write. But, for me, all it takes is shutting down, being where I am not interrupted and without distractions, and telling my muse, “It’s time to write.”  

"Better Late Than Never"

Photo Credit: MART PRODUCTIONS at Pexels

 

 

Some people take a very long time to do things and, unfortunately, I am one of those people.

 

I’ve been spending years editing a book that I hope to get back into print SOMEDAY, but only because this project was not the ONLY thing that I’m working on and also because months would pass when I didn’t work on it at all.

 

I have also been struggling with the writing of a GHOST Group story for several months. (I will figure it out at some point!)

 

And, just this week, I realized something else: One of my self-published poetry books that was released years ago was NOT available for distribution in the UK. Once I learned this, I was crushed, kicking myself over not discovering this sooner. But the experience had a plus: I now realized that it’s important to check on these books as often as possible to make sure that everything was in order. (I AM the book’s publisher, after all!) I did fix the problem, and now hopefully readers in the UK will be able to buy this book from Amazon.co.uk!

 

But I was still upset over all that time lost over this and probably any sales of the book being lost too! I told my oldest about this and while he, too, got upset over it, he added, “Better late than never.”  

 

Yes, that is true. And this same sentiment applies to how my whole week has been going.

 

One expression I often say is “I may be late for the party, but I’ll still show up.” I am notorious for being late. I have been late for classes, work and appointments.

 

And I may get certain tasks done late, but at least I get them done!

 

This blog post, for example. I try to get blog posts up early in the day while there is a better chance that more people will see it when I share the link, but it ended up being on the blog late in the day because I got too caught up trying to complete ONE thing that I realized would take up all of my day, and I decided that I couldn’t do that because I had other things that I needed to do today.

 

Trying to work on only one thing in my day is torture. I do not recommend it.

 

And that’s not how I work, anyway. I can’t just do ONE thing. I need to be doing multiple things, even in one day!

 

So, yes, that book’s distribution problem has been resolved. And I’ll be keeping an eye on the distribution of all of my other self-published books more often from now on!

 

This blog post has been put up.

 

And today, I also worked on one of the nonfiction books that I have been working on for many years. I have been writing it and researching it. I WILL finish writing this book, too! I’ll finish researching it and writing it and get it out there. It may be written many years later than I planned to finish writing it, but that’s still better than never being written at all.

Trying to stay focused

I am not the kind of writer, author, book reviewer, newsletter publisher, columnist or executive editor for a publishing company who works on only one thing every day, or manages just one type of thing every day. Nope, I jump between several tasks throughout my day. This is why I may take a VERY long time to respond to messages and emails. I try to post on social media every day just so people know I’m still alive! Most of the time, though, I am busy doing something else!

 

I usually have a hundred and one things going on at one time and a hundred and one things to do! So in order to get them all done, I’m jumping between them, working on this thing here or writing in a WIP there. My days are filled with me working on these various things, often until 1 or 2 in the morning (last night, it was until 2:30 in the morning!), so in order to try to get as much done as I can on all of my many projects, I am working on them a little bit at a time each day. Even on weekends. (Though “newsletter day” usually takes up ALL of my time on that day! I try to have one day a week where I can indulge in my other interests, like astronomy and the outdoors.)

 

And usually, that works out okay for me. I have no trouble getting right back into the thick of everything once I return my attention to something.

 

But lately, I’ve been trying to get certain things DONE before the month is over. And this has required that I spend a longer amount of time working on them than I would normally do.

 

This has not been easy. While I’m working on one thing, my brain is thinking about other things! I’m thinking about a problem I’m having with a story I’m writing, something to write, something I’ll need to do later, something I’m reading or pondering an article I read. Or I might be thinking about just how long I can go without eating anything while I am busy working! (Sometimes I forget to eat.)

 

Because I keep losing focus on what I am currently working on, I have had to constantly remind myself, “Focus!” If I NEED to get something done, written, turned in or sent, then I absolutely NEED to focus on it! And keep my focus on it!

 

There have been so many times I would stop what I am doing to start writing something, correcting a mistake in something else, or jumping up from my chair to tend to something that has distracted me. I keep trying to put a stop to this, but it is really hard to do.

 

I do get back around to answering messages or posting online or liking posts on Instagram and whatnot. Eventually! I just have to make sure that when I do those things, it’s not keeping me from something else I must be busy working on instead.