What Does It Mean To Focus As A Writer?

Do you ever struggle to focus with your writing? I do. All the time. It’s like shiny-thing-syndrome (a phrase I just made up) where I’m always trying to jump to the next thing. 

For example, I’m traveling right now, so I’m not in my normal environment or routine. I’m sitting on the couch at my dad’s house, not at my desk, and it is POURING outside (which does not happen in SoCal) and I just can’t focus. 

I tried co-working with a friend on zoom for accountability. I tried the pomodoro method. I tried and tried and the more I tried the more frustrated I got. 

What finally worked? I put on my noise cancelling headphones without music and told myself I could write this one newsletter. 

Also, I changed the topic of my newsletter because I just wasn’t feeling the first topic I decided to write about and that was making me hit a wall over and over again. 

So, what helps us focus? 

• Our environment

• Our routine

• Our Headspace

• The pivot

There’s only so much we can control, so let’s start by taking a look at what surrounds us and ask ourselves what we need to change. 

It’s ok to struggle to focus. It’s OK to rearrange your writing goals. Work with what you got!