Week 3 Flow, Habits, Distractions and Discipline
How easy is it to get distracted?
How many of these meetings have you not been able to make due to other activities that you have prioritised?
The opposite of distraction is traction and so any progress that you've made is positive. If you have made week 3 then you are well on the way to forming a habit.
Procrastination is not an obstacle but a manifestation of a writing block. While nearly every writer is aware of procrastination, far fewer writers know about the different types of obstacles that are at procrastination’s root.
Writing obstacles include (a) lack of confidence, (b) distaste for writing, or (c) a lack of time. These three top obstacles have one thing in common: Once they’re identified as productivity blocks, they can be directly confronted and overcome. These were identified by psychologist Robert Boice, Professors as Writers: A Self-Help Guide to Productive Writing. Stillwater, OK: New Forums Press, 1990. PP 20-22
"It’s true that writing takes serious intellectual engagement. Sitting still for an hour or two, finding the right words, and shepherding ideas into a logical order takes extreme focus. But there’s a pleasure in creating clear prose, of communicating a particularly difficult idea so the reader grasps your meaning. There are a few common obstacles that can stymie even the most seasoned writer, but they can be overcome! Counter a lack of confidence with affirming self-talk or by participating in a writing group. Work through a distaste for writing by learning to develop an effective outline for a writing project and then creating a distraction-free writing environment. Developing these writing skills will help you look forward to the writing process (or dread it far less!). These skills eventually become habits that translate to other realms of your working life as well."
Beware the infinite scroll! Social media is an entire industry whose singular purpose is to keep your attention, it's very good at it.
We have our own preferences, strengths and weaknesses - there is not a 'right' way to go about writing. An awareness of our own style and how we work better equip up with an awareness to be able to remain on track and resist lures that take our attention elsewhere.
Eating the frog - dealing with the tasks you don't want to face when writing
What's the Opposite of Distraction? A Single Life-Changing Word (nirandfar.com)
Developing Effective Writing HabitsLink opens in a new window
Ten Top Tips to End Writer’s Block ProcrastinationLink opens in a new window
Three Writing Techniques to Quash ProcrastinationLink opens in a new window
https://andrewstork.co.uk/setting-boundaries-between-you-and-students/
Eating the frog - getting tasks done