2010 Western Washington University Faculty Writing Series

Ten Tips for Writers to Manage Time and Minimize Distractions

  1. Identify your specific personal patterns of distraction.

For example, do you tend to get most distracted by your students? By household chores left undone? By colleagues who want to socialize? By noticing and reading email as it comes in? Or?

  1. Given your own personal patterns of distraction, go to places of minimal distractions.

If you tend to get most easily distracted by your students in need, go home or to the library or a coffee shop off campus. If your children or household chores distract you, go to your office. Special tip: If you have a noisy partner, consider duct taping him/her to a piece of furniture far from where you write. Wear ear muffs to mute any yelling.

  1. Get comfortable.

Set up your physical space ahead of scheduled writing time so there’s no/less of a need to address distracting physical needs later. Consider what comforts you (Music? Headphones? Food?)

  1. Schedule writing time for periods of highest potential productivity and least potential distraction.

During what time period do you tend to be most productive as a writer that also tends to have the fewest distractions? Schedule that time period on your Outlook calendar/day planner.

  1. Schedule a writing period every day – even if it’s only for 10 minutes – noting both start and end times.

What time period every day can you almost guarantee having at least 10 minutes to write? Schedule that time period on your Outlook calendar/day planner.

  1. Write something in every writing period scheduled.

Count everything - lists, quotations, questions – everything, Even if you’re needing to do some reading related to your writing project, write something down to capture how you will use it. Record what you’ve accomplished in your writing journal.

  1. Cut off technological distractions.

For writing periods, turn off cell phones. Close Outlook/email folder. Close internet. Leave open only your writing document.

  1. Translate distractions to notes by parking them on paper.

When random tasks come to mind during writing periods, write them on a slip of paper until you’re done writing and then they can become part of a to do list (for later), not distractions (for now).

  1. Stop a writing period before being done; start a writing period with something already done.

If you end writing before you completely exhaust your thinking and then start with that writing the next time, you won’t have to face the deadly blank page.

  1. Focus on bigwriting chunks.

Avoid letting wordsmithing distract you from advancing the whole piece. Until you’re ready to fine tune and edit, make the whole piece your main concern with the paragraph being the smallest unit of concern – not the word.

Any other tips you’d like to nominate?

Compiled by Carmen Werder from various sources, January 2010