by Paula Matter
Not that there's anything wrong with Twitter. I simply don't need another time sink. (Or should that be time suck?)
The older I get, the easier I'm distracted. For example: I typed that sentence, then Googled 'Fibromyalgia + Distraction.' Yep, I was right–I can blame it on my fibromyalgia. If I look hard enough, I can generally blame a lot on this condition.
Anyway, back to getting distracted. In order to get focused, say when I'm writing, I follow a daily routine to prepare my mind for the work ahead.
My usual routine:
Solitaire, Hearts, Free Cell. In that order and only one game allowed. (Anal with a capital A.)
One puzzle here http://www.jigzone.com/puzzle A little flexibility here if there are some really interesting puzzles.
Check e-mail.
Read favorite blogs. Too many to list. I have stopped reading all of the comments. Hell, Nathan Bransford's blog alone would take an hour or more to read. And I don't comment on very many of the ones I read.
Yahoo! Groups/listserves. I read them online and skim quickly.
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ Quick in and out. I'm down to three times a day.
By then I'm on my third cup of coffee and ready to begin work.
As soon as I check e-mail. Oh! Someone responded to my status on Facebook. A quick look. Reply. May as well check what others are doing. Oh, interesting link.
And on and on and on...
Since I know I'm not alone (please!) here's a fun quiz:
http://www.quizmoz.com/quizzes/Personality-Tests/c/Creativity-Quotient-Test.asp
I scored 64. How'd you do?
19 comments:
Paula -
I don't twitter either, and I got a 76 on the test!
My excuse for being a space cadet is ADD -- real diagnosis made by professionals. Honest.
I also play Free Cell, etc. but for me these games seem to help structure my mind for the task ahead - kind of like doing some yoga to get the body in balance before going on a hike.
That's it exactly, Gina! The routine helps structure my mind for the task ahead. Good analogy.
Paula
I got a 62.
Here's what it said: "But what is the most impressive is that you are not so caught up in imagination that you forget the world that you live in. You know that you have a gift of being able to imagine a whole new world but you also know that it is the world in which you live which is the reality and not the other way round. You strike the perfect balance between being too somber and too arty."
I guess that sounds kind of like me.
I like Spider Solitaire. But I have to keep playing until I win a game. Good thing it doesn't take very long.
Hi, Paula, for the very reason you just listed, I don't do Facebook, and those kind of things. I stop in and say hi to you and Annette, or post once a week if that on my blog Five Scribes, but all of this *social* networking is a drain on a writer's time. Simply don't have enough hours in the day as it is. Something to ponder if we're serious about getting published, right?
84. But since we're dealing with people in the creative arts here, I'm not surprised we're all scoring high.
I don't tweet. Can't understand how it works and can't see the point. I do do Facebook, and probably spend a little more time than I should on it. I've stopped playing games - usually. Not enough hours in the day for everything, and once you're staring down a deadline, it's amazing what you can make yourself do. I justify Facebook as being promotional in nature. And I justify reading the (less than half dozen) blogs I do as research, business, and - yes - marketing, on the few occasions when I do comment.
I guess I'm the low score at 53, I guess I enjoy my comfort zones too much.
I find it interesting that John Scalzi, working on a project recently, talked about pulling the plug on his cable internet for the morning. If he, with his accomplishments, has to do that to keep away, then I don't feel so alone.
I won't let myself play spider solitaire, touch a blog or read email until I get my writing done.
I KNOW how easily distracted I am. So email (and other internet fun) is a reward for when I hit my daily page goal.
I sound kind of ... well, prudish, huh? LOL (Like I'm missing all kinds of fun!)
susan
Joyce, I used to play until I won, but too many times I'd get stuck on a losing streak. Now it's just one game.
Paula
Hey Donnell! But can you just dive write into your writing each day? I'm envious.
And glad because that means the faster you write, the sooner I can read it!
Paula
Jennie, I've cut way down on Facebook. The number of times I log in, and the stuff there is to do. Huge time suck.
Paula
Kathy, were a lot of your answers middle ground? Where you could go one way or another?
Paula
Bill, another writer I know does that. I'm afraid of messing with my computer. Is there one plug I can pull? That wouldn't be a problem.
Paula
Hi Susan! I've tried that and it didn't work for me. I was able to cut down, and get to work faster though.
Naps are my reward.
Paula
Susan - I think you have the right idea!
It is so easy to get distracted.
I'm laughing because I'm so horribly undisciplined. If I give myself an inch, I take a mile!
susan
Hi Paula,
I don't twitter often...mostly use it to see what others in my field are up to and post a link to my blog when I do a new article. It sure can be a time suck!
On the attention thing...I think age has to do with it. I used to be able to stay focused for hours at a time...now I am happy with minutes. Getting a good hour at at time of work in is amazing! I don't have fibromyalgia to attribute it to.
Take care of you. Your cousin,
Kathy
Hey, Cousin Kathy! Very cool of you to drop by.
You're so right about the age thing. That's why I attribute everything to my fibromyalgia. I'm good at denial. lol
I'll have to check out your blog. Had no idea you had one.
Paula
Hi P,
Signed in to Facebook and found this blog. Very cool!
I don't Twitter either. Hell, hardly Facebook.
I took the quiz, scored 68. My score said that I know I live in the world of reality. Thank goodness!
Like your blog entries.
The Other P
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