The Relaxed Writer

Writing without Distraction: "Freedom" for Mac

Dear Reader,

Lately I seem to be sharing new software finds with you.  Before I introduce you to my newest discovery though, a quick disclaimer:

Software programs can be quite helpful if you're a distraction-prone writer (and c'mon...who isn't at one time or another?), but as a productivity and life balance coach for writers, I don't believe you actually need anything special to help you focus. 

Tools and apps can definitely help boost your productivity.  Cultivate a relaxed-writer's mindset though, and you'll cut through distractions and write "in-the-flow" all on your own.

* * *

If you've ever used Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way," you may remember doing a brief "media fast?"  To give your creative voice more space roam, you voluntarily refrained from watching television or reading newspapers or magazines for a week.  The result for most of us was that we emerged from the fast less reactive to external events;  more connected to our own thoughts, plot ideas and creative insights.

"Freedom" for Mac helps you to create an "internet fast" of your own.  By activating the software's timer (which you can set for up to eight hours), you block yourself from accessing the internet. You can override the setting by rebooting your system, but for most, this annoyance is enough of a deterrent to keep you on task.

 

Next time you sit down to write, consider creating your own "internet fast."

If you're a Mac user, download and experiment with "Freedom" (it's a free app, by the way), and stop back and let us know what you think.

(Thanks to Paul Zakrzewski and LiveWires for the inspiration for this post.)

Distracted Writer's Remedy: WriteRoom

Inventory your screen's real estate right now.  Do you see some or all of the following displayed?

    * applications icons
    * date/time display
    * connectivity options
    * laptop battery life indicator
    * command menu for your internet browser

We all know how easy it is to take part in "digital fidgeting."  Given the varied colors and manifold-portals-to-elsewhere that edge our writing space, it's not difficult to understand why it can be very challenging to focus when we're writing at the computer?

The Distracted Writer's Remedy #2

Enter WriteRoom for Mac.

After I installed WriteRoom the other day, I was greeted by an inky black screen and a blocky, blinking green cursor.  The silver edges lining the screen of my G4 laptop never gleamed so beautifully.  It's weird, but when I looked at my screen, I felt suffused by peace, tranquility.  It was a magical, quiet moment.

I could think.

Wow.  I could write!

WriteRoom bills itself as a "distraction free writing environment."  I was curious but skeptical when I tried it.  But after typing just a few paragraphs, I realize that for me, visuals matter.  And by "blacking out" peripheral status bars, icons and updates, I can concentrate more easily on what I'm writing.  This "distraction free writing environment" is for me.

Try It.

Take a minute to download a trial version of WriteRoom and try it for yourself.  (PC users: you will want to check out WriteRoom's imitator, DarkRoom, instead.)

If you decide to buy it, WriteRoom's software's developer, Jesse Grosjean, has extended a generous offer to The Relaxed Writer readers.

To save 20%:

• enter discount code "therelaxedwriter" at checkout
• pay only $19.95
• offer expires April 19, 2009

More Resources

I'm always on the prowl for interesting resources for my clients and blog readers.  If you haven't bookmarked my website's "Resources" page, you might want to do so now.   I update it regularly with interesting links and tools for writers, and welcome your suggestions for items to include!

Distracted Writer's Remedy: Part 1

Are you a distracted writer?  

If you write at the computer keyboard, you're attempting to write amidst a slew of tangential demands for your attention.  Given all the information available to us in the margins (not to mention the ready-and-willing-ness of the internet just a few keystrokes away), is it any wonder it's often a challenge to get the real work of writing done?

The Distracted Writer's Remedy #1:  "Unplug"

In "Procrastination Station," today's post on the LiveWires blog, my friend and fellow writer, Emily Kischell, muses about her tendency to perceive that she's less productive when she writes despite a proliferation of productivity tools:

As writers we have so many tools of convenience now. We are able to wrangle type instantly and easily. Not that we would, but we could write a novel on our cell phone in the middle of the jungle somewhere and then email it back to our agent instantly. This is quite an evolution from ink copies made by hand in candlelight, or for that matter, from writing a college paper on a typewriter and then treking up hill both ways to a photocopy machine to create a backup. And yet where is the spare time generated by these conveniences?

Kischell attributes her diminishing productivity to a phenomenon she's coined "digital fidgeting." (I love this term.)  She's decided that, for her, the remedy is to disconnect her computer from the internet for a few hours each day.

One of my coaching clients regularly"disconnects" before his writing sessions, too. 

Next time you sit down to write, try "sealing off" your writing session by turning off the internet and writing offline.  

And please check back in a day or two for the Distracted Writer's "Remedy #2," including a special offer for you.

Bookending: Using Twitter to Beat Procrastination and Boost Your Writing

Nothing motivates Frank more than a blank page or screen to get around to washing the dishes, sorting the mail and returning calls.  After all that work, he often feels he needs a snack, or perhaps a cup of tea, before he can finally settle down to write. 

Sound familiar?

For some writers, this type of "preparatory procrastination" can be a useful transition to help them shift from outward "doing" to sitting down to write.  For many others, though, procrastination leads them far, far away from the page or screen.

Bookending

Before I became a life coach, I learned a powerful technique to help me get going and stay working when I wanted to write.  My clients now boost their productivity with bookending, and you can, too.

What It Is:

"Bookending" is the simple process of alerting a supportive friend when you begin and when you stop working on a project.  This technique provides us with:

• structure
• a witness to our process
• support

How it works:

Before:  Before I'd sit down to write, I'd make a quick phone call:  "Hi, it's Marla.  I'm working on my piece now...I think I'll be at it for an hour.  I'll call you when I'm through." 

During:  During the work session, even if I was only able to leave a message for my friend, I worked with more focus.  "Gotta' report back after I'm done, and I don't wanna' let him down!" 

After:  When I closed the laptop, I'd give a quick call back:  "Hey...me again.  Finished for today and have goals outlined for tomorrow.  Thanks for being there."

Simple, huh?  If you're bookending with a life coach, you have the support and knowledge that he or she is tracking your progress, holding you accountable and heavily invested in your success.  Bookending with peers builds community and camaraderie. In all forms, bookending works.

Bookending with Twitter

Today's technology enables us to bookend by phone, text message, email or online chat.  Posting to Twitter.com offers writers immediate community and support using microblogging:  --posting short status updates in 140 characters or less. 

Here's a sample thread of bookending posts using Twitter:

@ MarlaBeck  Bookending:  Sitting down to draft blog post.  Plan to work for an hour.

@ MarlaBeck  Going well...getting up for a quick break.  Will check in again b4 resuming writing.

@ MarlaBeck  I'm back.  Writing.

@ MarlaBeck Bookending:  Done!  A solid first draft...will revise tomorrow.  Tks, everyone!

Creating bookending posts ("tweets") on Twitter enables you to update your personal community members--people who are interested enough in you and your updates to click a link to become your "followers"--immediately.  They track your progress and support your work.  Can you see the benefits of using Twitter to communicate with a broad and supportive community, on demand?  

Bookending using Twitter provides one other advantage.  Twitter archives your "tweets," creating a tangible archive of your bookending statements.  Reviewing a list of your bookends over time provides you with a powerful record of your progress towards your writing goals.

Try This

>>Visit www.twitter.com to create a user account.  (Feel free to look me up:  @MarlaBeck)
>>Bookend a writing session with a friend via phone this week. 
>>Once you've begun to create community online, try bookending a work session using Twitter. 

How do you write when you bookend (vs. not)?  What bookending method are you drawn to?    Stop back by and leave a comment with your thoughts and ideas.