A Tip on Focusing

Not having a boss peering over my shoulder or a looming deadline is a blessing and a curse. I'm working on a new feature, I have all day every day to work on it, and the amount of work I get done is completely in my hands. If you're having trouble focusing, my best suggestion doesn't involve more coffee, although I wish it did. That's easy and delicious. NO.

Turn off your computer. When my discipline fails, I waste hours every day reading BoingBoing, satisfying curiosities on Wikipedia, monitoring my flow of Netflix, and if I'm really pathetic, I watch episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I've already seen. I hit a breaking point recently where I realized what I was doing, put my computer a way, and wrote the old fashioned way after dragging my desk into a closet with a white noise machine. It's a little extreme, but sometimes I can't stand to have anything even remotely interesting to look at or hear.

Of course, you can't write your new feature just with your pen and paper. You can, however, do your hardcore planning with pen and paper and then record your results neatly in a Word document or Final Draft when you have direction and won't be easily distracted.

Assignment: Evaluate your workspace and habits. Tidy up your desk. If you work at home, tidy up everything. Be realistic about what sorts of things you end up wasting time on and find a way to eliminate them. Evaluate your diet. Is caffeine helping or hurting you? Also, make time to work out so you don't get restless or tired. I've been doing a
VHS of Jane Fonda's Complete Workout and it's both HILARIOUS AND FUNCTIONAL. And not only does Jane Fonda believe in you I BELIEVE IN YOU!