Friday, July 15, 2016

Staying Focused

Over the next few weeks I'm going to write about the difficulty of staying focused -- at least as it pertains to me.

It's funny, or perhaps tragic in some respects, that I used to be very disciplined when it came to my writing. I suppose it stemmed from my work as a reporter and editor for more than 30 years, when I had to deal with deadlines, often on breaking news events.

But as I've grown older, I find myself getting distracted. There was a time, when working on a novel, that I would set a self-imposed deadline on finishing a project. That's not to say that I would simply stop on the due date, but I would generally have 95 percent of the draft finished, if not already completed. 

Those were the days when I was employed full-time, and time was of the essence when working on a book. I'd get up early and write for two-three hours, then get ready for work. It was a routine I stayed with until I finished the manuscript. 

Now that I'm retired, it seems the free time to write is overwhelming. I know that probably doesn't make sense, but not having blocks of time designated for writing and research bring on procrastination.

And procrastination is something I'm beginning to master -- to my own detriment -- because I keep putting things off or occupying my time with activities that distract from my writing.

Now to regain some discipline in my writing life.

Until the next time....

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