Thread by @dickiebush

One struggle every writer faces:

Distractions.

Between you and your best writing stands a never-ending stream:

• Notifications
• Shiny-objects
• Genius engineers
• Buzzfeed clickbait

Here's a thread on how to overcome them 🧵👇🏼

Beating distractions comes down to one thing:

Environment design.

Relying on willpower is a recipe for failure.

Amateurs try to overcome distractions.

Professionals make it impossible to get distracted.

The three biggest sources of distraction:

• Your phone
• The internet
• The outside world

But instead of resisting them, eliminate them!

• Put your phone in another room
• Use the Cold Turkey app blocker
• Invest in quality headphones

Create a writing routine.

The goal: signal to your body and mind it's time to write.

This means intentionally designing a routine.

• Same time of day (I like the morning)
• Same music playlist (I like Atmospheric Calm)
• Same mix of stimulants (I like Bulletproof coffee)

Eliminate frictions.

DIstractions stand no match for the writer in flow state.

To quickly drop into flow, make it easy to get going.

The best way to do this?

Every time you finish writing, leave a left-off box summarizing your thoughts.

Then, leave a sentence half-finished

Write on a timer.

If you showed up to the gym and asked your trainer: how long is today's workout?

And they replied: "Not sure"

You would leave the gym!

Uncertainty is torture.

Instead, choose a length of time to write. Then, set a timer.

When the timer goes off, stop.

Keep a distraction outlet.

Our brains love chasing shiny objects.

But they don't know the difference between acting on them and just writing them down for later.

Keep a paper notebook nearby. Note down every distraction that pops up.

Act on them when your timer goes off.

Here's the TLDR summary:

• Write on a timer
• Eliminate distractions
• Create a writing routine
• Keep didstraciton outlet
• Eliminate frictions and startup costs

Reading this thread might even be a distraction.

Now go start writing.

If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow me @dickiebush for four threads per week just like this

2. Check out some of my other threads from the past:

https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1368600658601938946?s=20

If you enjoyed this thread:

1. Follow me @dickiebush for threads 4x per week on building a writing habit

2. Check out some of my other threads:

https://twitter.com/dickiebush/status/1368600658601938946?s=20

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