When Distractions Wreak Havoc On Your Plans (Or So You Think)
When you've put off writing for so long, eventually you get fed up with your lack of progress. You feel frustrated because you haven’t gotten any farther than you were a month ago or a year ago. You finally make your mind up to get your writing done. You decide on a specific writing time and you plug it into your schedule. You’re starting as soon as you get home from work or first thing the next morning. You’re ready to go. You can do this! You’re pumped because you’re taking charge once and for all.
And then the time comes to start your work. You sit down to focus and right out of left field a distraction knocks you down, keeping you from getting the work done that you had set out to do.
Has that ever happened to you? Please tell me I’m not the only one.
This happened to me again yesterday. I had my schedule planned out and I sat down to work. About 30 minutes in, my husband came home—four hours early!
The last time this sort of thing happened, something came up and I had to make a special trip into town which was about a 15 mile drive. Why, on the very same day I plan to start my work, does something have to come up and throw me off?
It thwarted me last time, but not this time.
Yesterday, I was determined to stick to my plan. I had to say “no” and refuse to let the distraction keep me from my work.
Busy writers and entrepreneurs need to be careful with how we spend our time. Each of us has a special purpose in life and it’s up to us to work toward it.
A visitor can’t just show up unexpected. If we allowed that to interfere with our goals, we’d never get anything done. If we answered the door every single time the doorbell rang or answered the phone every time someone called or responded to an email every time one came in, we’d never accomplish anything.
We have the power to say “no” and to take charge of the situation when distractions pop up. We don't have to let these distractions keep us from our work.
If you have ever read Steven Pressfield’s two books, The War of Art and Do the Work, you already know that resistance can keep you from achieving your goals. It’s up to you to fight against resistance to make sure you achieve those goals.
How do *you* handle distractions?
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