The insidious, creeping vines of distraction

Every writer's enemy

I love that, as humans, we are capable of learning and growing, that most things are not fixed.

What I don’t love? That we can so easily forget the lessons we thought we’d already learned.

I’ve been having trouble concentrating. Again.

And not like “lately” but like “all year.” I’ve gotten far too used to that feeling of being on the edge of a great idea or deep thought and then I can’t…quite…grab…it. Then, oh, look, something shiny? Wait, what was I doing?

Then, because that’s a frustrating, uncomfortable feeling, I give up trying to grab the idea and promise I’ll find time to dig deeper once I have the mental space to focus on it. But, of course, that time doesn’t come. The pattern/distraction cycle just repeats.

This lack of concentration is also starting to creep into my reading life. I’m finding myself rereading pages because I missed stuff. Or I read a page and then pick up my phone. Part of this is because there have been some stressful personal life things happening, but I also know this issue is bigger than that. I’ve taken my eye off the ball when it comes to protecting my focus.

Which is enormously frustrating because, if any of you have followed me for any length of time, you know that, over the years, I’ve really worked on this. I teach a CLASS on focus for writers. I’ve done digital detoxes. I’ve done device-free summers with my son when he was younger. I’ve read a literal towering pile of (very dry) books on what the internet and social media do to our brains. It’s been a topic that holds endless fascination for me.

But unfortunately, it’s also an area where, even though I’ve made big, significant strides since the years when I had a 6-column Tweetdeck screen chirping all day at me while I wrote and audio/visual notifications for damn near everything, I still slide into the trap of distraction if I’m not constantly vigilant.

The creep is slow but invasive. I don’t notice until wham! I’m tangled in the weeds and my brain is a scattered mess of half-formed ideas and forgotten tasks.

You think you’re getting ahead. I quit Twitter (besides the occasional announcement ) years ago. But then Facebook snuck into my day. I delete Facebook off my phone and then it’s Instagram. I delete that off my phone and then Substack comes up with a Notes feature that mimics Twitter but with fun, interesting articles attached. Or it’s the New York Times app. Or the Atlantic app. Or newsletters. Or. Or. Or.

(The only reason TikTok hasn’t gotten me is because I refuse to learn it. I claimed my name there and then peaced out.✌️)

So. Here I am. Again. Ms. Scrambled Eggs for Brains, ladies and gentlemen.

Which means I need to take action because I’ve had enough of this and now I’m pissed. (To show my age and quote a Limp Bizkit song.)

I went back to the basics this weekend. I reread Deep Work and Digital Minimalism¹ by Cal Newport. This was probably my fourth read-through since 2017. Those books never fail to inspire me and reignite my desire to reclaim my attention and ability to focus.

Then I read this article by Thomas J. Bevan, The Internet Is Boring, and that further strengthened my resolve because he’s right. Most of what we end up scrolling through now is junk. I’m not just wasting time; I’m wasting time on dreck. You have to scroll through tons of crap just to maybe see something you’re mildly interested in.

This is not the fun, interesting internet or social media of the early days. This is ads and sponsored content and silly things that may be funny in the brief moment (hey there, dog videos on Instagram) but all of it slowly eats away at our most precious mental skills and abilities. Anyone can watch endless dog/cat/cooking/makeup tutorial video clips (or argue on the app formerly known as Twitter). Not everyone can write books.

We’re neglecting the most interesting parts of ourselves to be consumers of the junk that algorithms are feeding us. It can stop us from making our own cool shit because wait…what were we doing again? Never mind, just scroll to the next video.

I’m not saying I’m going to give up the internet, obviously. There are still some bright spots out there—mostly in the smaller, walled-off gardens. I still get value from some Facebook Groups, Patreon, Substack, and podcasts. But based on how weak my ability to focus feels right now, I need to go back to the deep work methods I teach about in my class.

I want to have great ideas so I can write. I want to focus on the kind of work, like teaching classes, that excites me. I want to stop looking at my damn phone so much or getting lost in internet rabbit holes. I want to read books and not stop to check my phone every two pages. And I want to read the books already on my shelves instead of wasting time always searching for the newest, hottest books that other people are talking about.

Ultimately, I want to be able to grab those big, juicy thoughts that have felt just out of my reach all year.

So, I’m making changes. Facebook and Instagram are off my phone again. I’m going to put limits on the times I can look at Substack. I’m going to use my blocking programs to have distraction-free time on my computer. I’m going to lean into longhand writing (this post was drafted longhand.) And I’ll probably need to find something to do with my hands while I’m watching TV to get past the phone twitch—because I’ve learned from past experiments that deleting the addictive apps only shifts the clicking to other apps that don’t *seem* addictive (news apps, word games, Goodreads, etc.) but that can become that way.

I’m going to do everything it takes to reclaim that part of me that used to come so easily—that ability to focus on hard things for an extended length of time. I know it’s like a muscle. I’ve let it atrophy (again) and I need to get it back into the mental gym.

This isn’t the only thing I’m changing in the coming year. There are some other exciting things coming that I’ll be able to share more about soon. But I’m hoping that next year at this time, I’ll be able to look back at this post and smile about how far I’ve come.

So, anyone want to join me in reclaiming attention? I’m debating whether I should offer my focus class next year or not, so if you’re interested, let me know!

In the meantime, the Self-Care for Writers class still has a few openings if you want to kick off the new year with me!

Alright, I think that’s all for now. Thanks for listening to my mini-rant (rant about self?)

Also, I’d love to hear from you! What challenges are you facing as the year comes to a close? What do you hope to change or improve next year?

1. Book links are bookshop.org affiliate links