The Trick to Keeping Your Sanity and Writing in a Chaotic Environment
Have you ever sat in a room with three hundred day-old chicks, all with a healthy set of lungs? It's loud! And it's chaotic. Chicks are running everywhere. Some huddle together and try to sleep while others trample them and make it hard to get more than a few minutes of sleep.
Even when the chicks get trampled and they have to get up and move, it doesn't stop them from trying to sleep. They move around and then lie back down.
As simple as this is, there's something we can learn when we're stuck having to write in a chaotic environment.
I have trouble writing in a chaotic environment. I like my peace and quiet, but there are times when that type of environment just isn’t possible.
I’ve never tried noise-cancelling headphones, so I have no idea if they work or not. It’s not something I want to try either. They hurt my ears. Call me stubborn; I’m stuck in my ways in that regard.
So, without tools and the ability to find a quiet place to write, I’m left with learning to take control with my own brain.
We have far more power than we give ourselves credit for. We have the power to control how we think, feel, and behave. We have the power to be disciplined, to make ourselves sit through something we struggle with and take charge of the situation. We can even control our level of happiness and positivity.
Writers are infamous for our drama. We are really good at fueling our procrastination habits and our tendencies toward perfectionism. All we need to do is use sarcasm, excuses, and negativity in our speech. It’s easy!
Does that mean we’re depressed? Maybe. Only you and God know that one. Does it motivate us to succeed in our writing career?
I don’t know about you, but it certainly doesn’t motivate me.
When we use negative language in our speech (i.e., “I’ll never get published”, “that will never work”, “I’ll never have time to write”), we’re telling that to our minds.
The mind doesn’t know the difference between a true statement and a lie. In reaction, our mind says, “Okay. You’ll never get published. Why try?”
That is what you are telling yourself. With every negative thought, you are sabotaging your wants and dreams.
Do you see how much power you have? You’re in charge of taking action to fulfill your destiny. It’s up to you to make it happen.
So, given that, what is the trick to writing in a chaotic environment?
You do it through practice and believing that you don’t need peace and quiet to be productive. If you have the power to control your thoughts, don’t you also have the power to shut out noises so that you can focus on your work?
I grew up reading with the TV on. And I took car rides with the radio on and my mom talking in the background. I had the power to shut out the noises so I could read.
It just takes practice and a belief that you can do it.
It’s time we stop making excuses and get some serious writing done. All those in favor of productive writing sessions, say “Aye”!
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