Both reading and writing are activities that require concentration. Although reading is more mobile due to the portability of books, the same cannot be said for writing. Writing requires more organisation, concentration and stability.
I try to adapt to this format every two days when writing my articles. Although there are various factors, such as the effect of the seasons, the reflection of my moods, the weight of the subject, the organisation of the working environment is really important for the completion of each article.
I would like to share with you what I look for to ensure this. Perhaps it will be helpful to you. I will start with the basics and list them by touching on different topics.
Identifying distractions
This, of course, is the root of the problem. Sometimes you are unable to write for reasons that prevent you from doing so. It may take you a long time to realise this. The reasons are many. But what are they? Identify them, make a mental note of the factors that cause problems so that you can learn how to take precautions against them or how to use.
Sometimes it can be your mobile phone because of the time you spend on social media. You may be absorbed in a piece of music you are listening to. You may not have noticed how time flies when you watch a video. Maybe you have been researching and reading about the topic you want to write about and it has taken longer than you expected.
Personal awareness
Some of them you already knew, others you will discover over time. But how do they manifest? What do you do to get caught up in all these distractions? Perhaps there was an underlying factor.
We need to think about how it affects the writing process. We may be immersed in music, but we can use that to our advantage and make it help us focus. If we want to watch a video and have a good time, we can reorganise it so that it is relevant to the topic we want to write about. See how you can use distractions to your advantage.
Preparing a creative space or being in the right place
We have talked about the pre-writing action, what you do unconsciously and what you can make conscious. Now let’s focus on our workspace. There is no doubt that the place where each of us writes our articles is largely the same. Sometimes you want to spend some time writing outside in a café or in the office after a meeting, but usually you have a preferred place. Just like you need your bed to sleep in or your kitchen to prepare food. Specific places that serve specific purposes.
So much so, in fact, that the word studio (from the Latin studium) is used to describe a workspace, even though it is now considered a type of home. Your own space, your own focus, just for you to work in.
Understanding and meeting needs
We said that there may be a place for everyone, but that does not mean it will be the same. There is no doubt that different writers thrive in different environments. They project their personalities onto the space. Because these environments are like a part of themselves, they are not distracted and may be able to concentrate more. So it is important to know ourselves and to prepare or eliminate our needs accordingly.
There are also some external factors that you cannot control. The most annoying example is, of course, noise. It is a factor that I also hate and it ruins my concentration. That’s why I feel the need to listen to music most of the time. Sometimes I enjoy it, but the rest of the time I do it because I feel compelled to. I prefer lo-fi, quiet, relaxing, instrumental music. I am listening to Studio Ghibli soundtracks as I write this article.
Other factors such as the lighting in your location, the fresh air coming in, the mobility around you are other points that come to the fore as focal determinants. Lighting that you set according to the time of day will not make you sleepy or tire your eyes. Similarly, ventilation will help you feel energised.
Simplicity (or abundance)
Avoid all the extra things in your environment that distract your focus. Take a look at your desk. What are the extra things? Are they useful to you at the moment? If the answer is no, remove them, even temporarily. At least keep them out of sight during your writing process. If possible, it should be just you and your article.
Now I am going to confuse you a little by saying the opposite of what I said in the previous paragraph, because there was another point we mentioned earlier. Although a simple workspace will relax our minds, not every writer will feel obliged to work in the same way. Sometimes there are additional materials that we need to be inspired by. For example, sometimes I find myself looking at my bookshelf and I’m not really concentrating on the books at that moment; I’m listening to them helping me, as if they were whispering to me. At that moment I only benefit from their aesthetic guidance. Their existence makes me feel good.
In short, although total simplicity can be a relief to the eye, sometimes other factors can offer a more useful solution. Look at your surroundings and relate them to yourself. Then decide what your own style might be.
Set an achievable and clear goal
As I mentioned in another article, I usually prefer certain times of the day to write. I have found that the late evening is a better time for me to write my stories. When I start writing, I don’t get up until I’ve finished my article. I have to finish it. It doesn’t matter if it takes hours. I relax only when I finish. I don’t move on to a new article or to writing my stories. I know my limit.
Set yourself an understandable limit. Set a goal for your writing that is not excessive. Don’t feel compelled to finish it rigorously. It may be more intense and exhausting than you imagine. It may take time.
Photo by Nubelson Fernandes on Unsplash
When you have done all this and finished your work, check your progress. This exercise may be more useless than you thought. If things aren’t going as you expected, analyse what’s wrong and what’s affecting your concentration. Think of ways to improve. Tailor this to your personality and create a working style that suits you best.
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