Last week I sat down with the intent of editing one of my short stories, but instead found myself sucked into the endless pit of social media.
I wasted away the next two hours scrolling through multiple sites, learning about Becky’s lunch adventure with her fiance, that Jordan’s kid finally decided to start walking, and that Michelle got a new car (the names and very exciting life events have been changed to protect the innocent).
By the time I’d had my fill of social media, it was time for me to go to bed.
To put it simply, I was quite put out with myself.
I’d had so many goals for that evening, and I’d pushed them aside to fill my mind with the goings on of the world instead (it was obviously very important for me to read about Becky’s lunch).
Here’s the thing though – it wasn’t a terrible thing for me to do. The next day I was well-rested and made a ton of progress on my short story.
I guess my point is this: don’t be afraid to be distracted… sometimes.
Balance is super important if you’re a writer or do anything that has to do with creation and inspiration. Don’t punish yourself for being distracted, reward yourself by allowing yourself to be distracted… and thennnnnn whip yourself into shape and write those 10 story ideas that have been circling around your brain for months.
You have to keep yourself on a diet of distractions. Allow yourself 1200 calories of distractions a day for the best results. Letting yourself rest and think about something other than your looming projects is good for your health, blocks potential burnout, and makes you more attractive (maybe just because your hair is less frazzled).
Don’t burn out.
Let yourself rest.
Embrace your distractions… at least for a little while.
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