If, like me, you occasionally find yourself struggling to keep away from the internet when you should be writing, here’s a really well thought out set of rules from prolific blogger, journalist, and author Cory Doctorow.
I might get one of those big signs that say “DISTRACT ME” for my desk!
Patricia Highsmith on thinking oneself out of one’s distractions:
After opening my post on many mornings, I indulge in a few minutes of anguish and muted screams, then devote the next hour or more, if necessary, to tackling the mess. When I have satisfied myself that I have done the best I can by letter and telephone, I stand up from my desk and try to pretend that I am not me, that I have no problems, that the past hour or more has not really happened, because I have to think myself into a state of innocence and the absence of worries of any kind in order to work. I suppose it’s a measure of how professional one is, how quickly one can do this. The ability does improve with practice…