How to Stay Focused on Your Writing Goals

As a writer, your writing is your life. You live, eat, and breathe your writing, your characters, and their journey. You would think nothing could separate you from your work once started and the words just flow from brain to fingers. Yet that is just not true. There are many aspects to the writing life that can cause your focus to wane from your path.

The problem is we have this “just in case” mentality. Our brain feels it’s necessary to keep things as they are “just in case.” It’s what keeps us from achieving what we need to during the day. All those tabs are up just in case we need the information for something. Email notifications are on in case we get an important message and social media just in case we miss something others are doing. These are a distraction and need to be taken care of before you can sit and accomplish what needs to be done.

Being focused is essential for anyone who is serious about their work. If you want to do something that matters to you, you’ll need to eliminate the “just in case” or shiny object occurrences and accomplish your goal.

Let’s go over some ways you can create a better-focused atmosphere for your writing.

Morning Focus

Your focus starts right away in the morning. The decisions you make as you wake up affect the rest of your day. So, let’s start the day with good decisions to make the rest of our day flow calmly.

Device Decompress Morning

Mornings are meant to wake up and prepare for your day. It’s not for checking email or notifications the second you open your eyes. Creating a routine where you spend the morning time focused on waking up and beginning your day.

The last thing we need is to stare at a screen right away in the morning. I don’t know about you but the longer I’m looking at a screen, the higher the chance of getting a headache, whether I wear blue light glasses or not. Taking time in the morning to prepare for the day and center yourself will help you focus on what’s coming during the day.

Plan Ahead

Another way to stay focused is to have a plan. Schedule times to be creative and times to sit and work on writing. You can even schedule times for research, world-building, character development, and more. You may already have those complete, but if you don’t. It’s good to create times to work on those as your mind will wander to them as you work. If you can create time to work on them, then your mind can focus on what you’re currently working on. If you sit to just work on writing you can use the time to work on an outline, write a rough draft, or finish a final draft.

Set Goals

I know, not everyone likes to think of their accomplishments as goals. The word goals like resolutions are overused and some prefer to use a different title. Whatever title you use, set them and write them down. Give them deadlines and work your way toward them. If it’s a larger accomplishment that requires more time, break it down into manageable pieces, and work toward them daily, weekly, and monthly.

Writing Sessions

You’ve prepared and planned for the day. You’ve set your targets to hit and now it’s time to get writing the actual words.

Triggers

These are all those things mentioned above that take your attention away from what you’re working on. Notifications, social media, and extra tabs open on your computer are all things that can take your attention from your work. The noises we hear announcing messages received can create an almost panic within our brains that tell us to check it. It could be something important.

This is where you need to silence them and put them out of sight. There are plenty of apps that allow you to ‘disable’ social media and other sites that cause distractions. This allows you an uninterrupted workflow for at least that amount of time (if not longer).

There is a slight controversy in regard to music. Some can’t work without it (Me!) while others can’t work with it playing. This is really a personal preference. If you work better with it, then use it. If not, then leave it out of your workday. I have a mix of movie and video game soundtracks that I use. Even though some have words, I tend to be more focused with music playing in the background.

Here are a few you can check out:

• Leechblock (laptop)(Mozilla Firefox, Google, Chromium-based browsers such as Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi)
• StayFocused (Chrome)
• SelfControl (Mac)
• Focus (Mac)

Free Write Session

Take a few moments to write… just write. It doesn’t have to be about your project at this moment. It’s just an activity to get your mind in the correct space for writing. Write what inspires you, what you feel. If you’re worrying about something, write it down and work through it. It could be about your day, your plans for the future, or anything. Give yourself some room to be creative and release the worries and things on your mind. Clear it out and you’ll be able to focus better on what you want to accomplish.

Quick Achievements

If you have something you’re dreading, work up to it by doing a few easier quick items that should only take a few moments to complete. Doing a few easier items gets your mind and body warmed up for what’s to come next. You are more susceptible to performing more difficult tasks when you’ve completed easier ones.

We all know that working on something that is going to take a lot of time and energy could weigh on the mind. You may feel dread at the thought of completing the task. Completing quick easy items can help or breaking it down into steps could work too.

Other Tips

You’ve worked hard, but there are always a few more things that could help with your focus. Somehow need, others you can implement if you wish.

Breaks

Be sure that you take sufficient breaks when needed. Some have recommended working for 25-30 minutes and then taking a five-minute break. Others will work for an hour or two before taking a break. Whichever works for you, then go for it. You know how you work, do what’s best for you. Try one out and see how it goes.

Breaks are meant to be restful, not stressful. Do something that will switch your brain off. Checking your email, surfing the net, and catching up on social media are not restful activities. Reading a chapter in a book, playing a game, and going for a walk are all restful options.

Keep your health in mind. Writers spend a lot of time at a desk writing. It’s a good idea to keep active. It helps to relieve stress and benefits your overall health which can help you stay more focused on your writing.

Writing Companions

Writing with others who can motivate and support you while you write is a great thing. They can give you feedback when you need it and help when you’re stuck. Just be sure to keep the topics on point and make time for the actual writing.

Writing Groups

There are so many writing groups out there that you can join for any genre. Not only will they give advice and suggestions, but they may also schedule writing sprints you can participate in. Sprints are great because it’s just you and the page, getting as many words down as possible in a certain short period. One of my favorite groups is WordNerds.

Network

Find others that love writing as much as you. Those that will support, and you can return the favor. Give constructive criticism and suggestions when asked as they can provide you with the same. You can discuss anything about writing and they will give feedback. Writing becomes even more fun when you don’t feel alone and can share in the adventure with others.

Low Energy, Small Tasks

There are going to be times when writing just isn’t in the cards for the day. This could be due to sickness or you’re just not mentally in the game. This is a great time to get those small things done that may have been put off such as filing, emails, and cleaning your space.

Don’t Edit

It has been recommended to not edit as you go. It could distract you from your writing and push your schedule back by having to catch up on your writing. It’s best to schedule blocks of time to edit later. You need to just get some words on paper or screen right now. Keep focused on one area while you work.

Allow Yourself Rewards

Rewards are a great way to give yourself something small for completing your more difficult tasks. This could be going on a walk, playing a game, reading a book, watching an episode, getting your favorite snack (as long as it’s not overdoing it), etc.

Location

Sometimes you just need different scenery or perspective to gain the focus you need to keep writing. Try a nice cafe, the library, a park when it’s warm, and more. If you like to people-watch, this is a fantastic way to view your subjects.

Final Thoughts

Your writing and focus are essential to achieving your targets (goals). What you do to regain focus and keep focused depends on the decisions you make and the actions you take throughout the day. Start on the right foot and keep your focus for the rest of the day. Good luck with your endeavors and your writing!