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How to Clear the Mind Clutter So You Can Focus On Your Writing Work

How to Clear the Mind Clutter So You Can Focus On Your Writing Work

How to Clear the Mind Clutter So You Can Focus On Your Writing Work
Photo by Rajesh Sundaram

How to Clear the Mind Clutter So You Can Focus On Your Writing Work

You have trouble concentrating on your writing when your head is filled with mind clutter, don't you? And then you get frustrated because you can't seem to get any good words down.

That happens to me a lot. It takes more than a few minutes to get my mind focused on my writing again. I tend to dwell on things a little too long. Who doesn't, right?

What do you let your mind think about when you're trying to write?

When it comes to getting some serious writing done, you need to have discipline and the motivation to refuse to let other, unimportant matters take up space in your head.

Here are some tips that will help clear the mind clutter so you can write again.

Let it go.

What benefit does dwelling on it get you? It certainly doesn't help you get ahead in your writing. It probably doesn't even help you to keep up on your writing. I know that this is easier said than done, but everything takes practice to get it right.

If you spend 10 minutes less dwelling on something that doesn't matter to your writing business, that's 10 minutes you could use productively.

Force yourself to focus on your business/writing goals and your "bottom line".

When you're in business as a writer, you need to focus on your business goals. Will dwelling on something that doesn't matter benefit you and help you achieve your goals? Probably not. Unless, of course, you're using it in your story, or you need to know how it feels to dwell about it. What it's like to feel rage, irritation, sadness… It helps to have felt recently those emotions you're writing about.

But, if you don't have a use for those emotions or experiences, you need to let them go and you need to focus on what will help you in your business.

Realize that focusing on the negative stuff won't help you get any writing done.

When you focus on negative crap while you write, your writing session will turn into an ugly monster. If you're writing in a journal, writing about your experiences will help you get through those feelings, but when you're writing an article or a story that isn't related, you'll have trouble writing anything good. You just won't be able to focus on your work.

Recognize it as a learning experience.

We all need experiences in order to make our writing come alive. If you've never experienced the things you're writing about, you'll be at a disadvantage. So, embrace this new experience and treat it like research for your next book or article.

Keep in mind that the more experiences you have, the more you have to work with when you write.

Have you ever tried to write about depression when you've never experienced it before? It's hard to write accurately about something that you haven't actually experienced. Research will take you far, but without those experiences, you won't be able to grasp the true feelings that the severely depressed experience. And you won't understand the reasoning behind the suicidal thoughts and the emotional pain that they feel.

Look at it in a positive light.

How can you spin the situation to turn it into a positive? What benefits did you gain through it? Surely there is some positive thing that resulted from the experience. I bet you learned something from it, even if it's "I won't be doing that again!". The point here is that dwelling negatively on an experience won't get you anywhere; it won't do you any good. And it won't help you get more writing done.

Focus on the things that will help you get farther along in your writing career, and avoid negative experiences like poison oak.

Are you ready to clear the mind clutter and start focusing on your writing work?

Jody Calkins
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