Dealing with distractions
Last week when I responded to Mark’s post, Prioritise Work That is ‘Important But Not Urgent’, I shared an ah, ha! moment.
The ‘room at the top of the stairs’ moment.
This week, I’m reaping the rewards.
Mostly.
Enthusiasm aside. ‘The chores can wait’ aside. It’s going to take awhile to absorb skills needed to deal with new distractions.
For instance, I get thirsty.
Yes, I know. We all get thirsty so please bear with me …
I head for the kitchen where the watercooler is. By the patio door. So far, so good. But today, I took a right turn out the door to answer a buzzing dryer. Half hour disappears. I have clothes folded, a new lot in the washer and dryer. And the mail read.
(note to self: turn off buzzer)
Or how about making a cuppa.
Once more, I head for the kitchen. I glance outside. A plant needs rescuing. The next hour? Spent repotting plants, pointing a hose at the green and enjoying cool water on my feet.
(is there such a thing as mid-life ADD?)
Ok, it’s clear I need to concentrate on better time management. But first, I need to finish this post.
In his latest post, Mark shows us how to Ring-fence Your Most Creative Time by grabbing the choice time of day for ourselves.
If you’ve read the above, you’ll notice I have no qualms about grabbing time.
And as a third child of two brothers and only daughter of daughter-doting parents, I love the idea of spoiling myself (surprise!) by ring-fencing quality time.
Mark is suggesting something similar to taking the juiciest, ripest piece of Durian. And keeping it all for myself.
All mine.
So instead of giving away precious time, I now have permission to snatch it for mine.
That, I like.
Ok, so I’m grabbing spots of time for myself. Constructive time. Quality time. I’m sitting in front of the computer. Fingers ready to go. Now what?
To get the flow going, Mark suggests ring-fencing your attention by using triggers to get yourself in the right state of mind.
Triggers for designing I have.
Butt on chair, computer, software, sketch pad, design brief = disappearing into design mode for hours.
Until it gets dark. Or my stomach growls. Or my eyes burn. Or I’m interrupted by a human form nudging me back into now.
What I don’t have triggers for is writing. I have a stubborn child fussing, fighting and whining. And I have excuses. Lots of excuses.
I need to buck up. Shape up. I’m still in need of that plan.
“Maybe you have a special place you go to for focused creative work – a secluded office, a particular chair, a seat in your favourite café. Or you may have a favourite notebook, pen, software application or make of computer – using other tools doesn’t feel quite right. Once you get into the habit of using these triggers, they form a kind of ritual, or process of self-hypnosis if you like, to help you reach that state of focused absorption Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls ‘creative flow’.”
Ok, I’ve located my ‘room at the top of the stairs’. It’s now in the ‘room in the middle of the hall’.
But yesterday (a longer story than this so forgive if I pass on the telling) I learned I can’t always be there.
That sometimes it will just have to be on the sofa. Or maybe outside with the birds. Or, stretching to the realities of living, on a plane or in a hotel room.
So what I need is a common trigger.
Music might work.
Google, google, google …
Nice. I’ll give it a try and get back to you.
Additional suggestions from Mark:
- Turn off mobile phone
- Put landline on answer phone
- Close email applications
- Listen to music
Suggestions anyone?
Catherine (cat) Morley
Project Manager
As promised, my answers to Mark’s questions:
When is your most creative time, when you are most alert and find it easy to focus?
When the caffeine kicks in. When I’m rested. On a second wind. Or a third wind.
If you could arrange your ideal schedule, what time would you ring-fence for focused creative work?
Before this series started the answer would be morning. No longer. Now I’m not convinced afternoon isn’t my best time. I’ll make a note to take notes and I’ll check back next week.
How close to your ideal schedule can you get within the constraints of your current situation?
Spot on as my schedule is in control. Or something is anyway.
Do you have a special place for creative work?
Well, as mentioned, I now have a ‘room in the middle of the hall’ to deviate from distractions.
So yesterday, when I went in to write this post, I turned on the computer. and wandered off into a site design.
Today, after going off on various distractions, I finally settled down on the sofa (away from all that lovely design software). Typing typing happily away.
This is going to take some work.
What physical triggers (such as pens, paper, computer hardware or software), rituals or routines do you use to get yourself in the right state of mind?
I don’t have any triggers for writing at this time. I’m a fresh slate. In the coming week I’ll play around with music to see how that goes.
Oh, one trigger I know works. Sometimes. Guilt. Yes, guilt sometimes works.
And this post proves it.
Ta da!
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