One of the most common problems article writers face is interruptions. Since most writers work at home, this adds to the potential interruptions and if you have children or even indoor pets (or both), this adds more distractions to your writing day.
If you want to be able to write more articles, it’s going to be important to cut out as many distractions as possible. The only way to do this is to find out what’s really interrupting you and then determine a way to prevent this as much as possible.
Here’s one way to find out what interrupting you. First when you sit down to write, keep a notepad by your side with a pen or pencil handy. Each time throughout your workday that you are interrupted, make a little note of what it is that’s interrupting you.
At the end of the day, take a look at this notepad or paper. What was your most common interruption? How often were you interrupted? This will help you determine how to reduce and prevent these interruptions as much as possible.
Here are some common interruptions many article writers face:
- Phone calls
- Family talking to you
- Dog or other pet has needs
When you see what’s interrupting you, it will become possible to take the steps needed to prevent these interruptions as much as possible. For example, do you have a quiet place to work without distractions? You need an office or a section of the home that you can use as a makeshift office.
Other family members need to know when and how to respect your article writing time and leave you in peace. Explain to your family that it interrupts the writing process when they come by to chat or ask you questions. Have them hold all questions and comments that are non-emergency for break times. Take a break about once every hour. It will help you get up and move around and it provides time to address these interruptions.
Create a schedule in which you feed the dog, check your emails or tend to other distractions during your breaks. Turn off the phone ringer and allow the machine to get it unless you have planned a chat with a client or other business matter. This will prevent all of these interruptions from hitting you and ruining your article writing time. Learn what’s interrupting you today and you can prevent this common obstacle to article writing from affecting you.
