No Distractions

Hey everyone,

I have a confession, in between writing this newsletter I fell down a rabbit hole of tweets, TikToks and that one show everyone insists I watch, the irony is not lost on me, you’re reading a newsletter about staying focused while I admit I got distracted in the middle of a sentence, but here we are, let’s lean into it.

Distraction is everywhere, it’s as easy as opening your phone and suddenly you’ve scrolled through three different apps and half an episode you barely remember, creators especially can feel like they need to be on every social channel, guesting on every livestream and bingeing every trending series so they don’t miss out, spoiler alert you missed out the moment you started juggling plates instead of writing your book.

Quality over quantity
You don’t need ten social media accounts, you need one or two that actually make sense for you, if Instagram showcases your art best focus there, if Twitter is where your people hang out make it your home, trying to do them all is like painting a masterpiece with sand, you end up spread thin and with nothing you’re proud of.

The book is everything
No matter what fancy show you’re on or what viral reel you make none of it matters as much as your core project, your book, your comic, your course, whatever you poured your heart into that is the product, treat every other distraction as background noise, like a radio you can turn down.

Here are a few practical tips to keep your eyes on the prize

• Time block your creative work
  Schedule dedicated writing sessions in your calendar and protect them like an appointment with your best friend, when that time arrives close social apps, mute notifications and let your creativity flow.

• Set strict social media windows
  Give yourself one or two ten minute social media breaks per day, ideally between your creative sessions, use a timer so you don’t accidentally scroll into dinner time.

• Batch your content
  Instead of stopping every day to post something pick a morning to brainstorm a week of posts, write the captions, pick the images, schedule them and forget it until next week.

• Use a simple rewards system
  Promise yourself a single episode of your favorite show only after you hit a writing goal, whether that is a word count or finishing a chapter, suddenly watching that episode feels earned instead of a guilty escape.

• Find an accountability buddy
  Check in with a fellow creator each week, share your wins and your ‘I didn’t write for two days because I said yes to too many Zoom calls’, a little external accountability can work wonders.

• Keep your workspace free of distractions
  If your phone is the culprit put it in another room, if you’re tempted by browser tabs try a website blocker for your danger sites while you work.

At the end of the day distraction isn’t evil, it’s your brain looking for an easy win, writing a book or launching a project is hard, it takes focus, perseverance and sometimes sitting there watching the cursor blink until it turns into words, so yes this newsletter is a gentle poke in the ribs, a reminder you’re letting the algorithm call the shots again, you’ve got better things to do.

Now go close those tabs, pick your one favorite social channel and get back to your masterpiece, nothing beyond that matters as much.