It’s impossible to write well if you are distracted (says I, who is currently writing this while watching the subpar episode of The Office where Jim buys Pam a house).
Resisting distractions is hard and it saps our willpower. (That obviously explains why I ate three salted nut bars while writing this: no willpower left.)
So how do you get rid of the distractions, sit down to write (or read or whatever), and do it well?
(That last part about doing it well is key, by the way. I’ve produced all kinds of garbage while watching TV. I’m not bragging; I’m confessing.)
I suggest we try creating environments where multitasking isn’t the default. We have to build space and time where distraction simply doesn’t enter the equation.
Easier said than done, of course, but I do have some strategies for doing that. You can read about what I’m trying to do in my article “Distraction Is Keeping You From Writing: Three Ways to Foster Deep Thinking and Improve Your Writing.”
Should you trust me? Probably not. I just paused to watch this video of babies talking to each other.
How do you build distraction-proof areas in your life?
Christine Seifert 
If I have a slightly-distracting areas like cafes (for studying), I study better. Libraries are too silent for me and I get easily distracted there on my own. A cafe holds me much longer. Or somewhere outside that is not too crowded.
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It’s a daily struggle, isn’t it? I can’t do cafes or libraries because they distract me even more than my house, my spouse (who’s actually pretty good about leaving me alone), my kitchen, my garden, The Office (good, bad, indifferent).
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I’m contemplating having a go at Joyce Carol Oates’ Master class in short story writing. She said the same thing as you. Perhaps you are on to something…
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She’s the expert after all! I don’t know that anyone is as prolific as she is and still maintains such consistent quality. If you take the class, let me know how it is.
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Roger that. There are a lot of good classes there, like Carlos Santana on guitar and Penn and Teller on, umm, I forgot.
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