Writing in the age of distraction

First thing I do after I wake up: Grab my iPhone to check email and social media.

I crave that fleeting hit of dopamine triggered by a social media mention or email from someone I’ve been waiting to hear back from. But that elated feeling quickly turns to regret: “I should have grabbed my pen and notepad instead of my phone.” After all, writing scenes will get me somewhere. Writing emails and replies will not.

But this is the world we live in: a world where our attention is fought for and monetized by digital channels. Usually, those emails are emails wanting me to buy something — not from someone I care about. And my social media feed is littered with ads for things I don’t need — not populated with useful insight from the people I follow.

Bottom line: I need to trade the short-lived rush of dopamine offered my emails for the true and sustainable feeling of accomplishment that comes from writing a good story. But when I sit down to write, I usually open my MacBook. Which means more distraction. More email checking and more clicking the notification icons on Medium, Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook.

So it seems the best way to avoid this distraction is to distance myself from these digital channels whenever possible.

Quick tips for avoiding distraction

• Use a local text editor instead of a writing platform in the cloud. Not so long ago I used Google Docs and Amazon Storywriter to “pen” my first scenes. I’m trying to do that less now by using a notepad or local text editor. Then, at the end of the week, copy what I have into my favorite cloud screenwriting tool. Right now that’s Storywriter.
• Use pen and paper. This removes the option to open a browser tab for reasons unrelated to my writing project. Of course, I can still pick up my smartphone, but that becomes less of an impulse as I train myself to follow the path of a screenwriter.