I am very easily distracted ‚ and, as I am my own boss, I don’t have a manager breathing down my throat to make me do the work.
But despite that, I’ve written 20+ books. My secret?
Tomatoes
To be more accurate, POMODOROS! This technique is named after old-school tomato-shaped kitchen timers which typically counted out 25-30 minutes of cooking time. The idea is that by dividing any task into 25-minute bursts, we can make it less daunting and therefore more doable. And that includes writing books. Not to mention any other kind of activity - school study, admin, housework or whatever you sometimes avoid doing...
We all get moments when we're struggling to find focus, especially with a big challenge like writing a novel. Pomodoros make me feel less stressed. I use a free timer on my laptop desktop‚ and begin telling myself I only have to complete ONE pomodoro or 25-minute cycle.
The benefits of 25-minute tomato cycles
It’s a short, doable chunk of time - most people, even if they’re busy, can find 25 minutes for something they really want to do.
Creative work can be hard to quantify - you might write a scene or section, only to edit or delete it later. But time is a quantifiable thing, so you can measure your progress in pomodoros or 25-minute chunks. I set myself a certain number to complete every day.
The process also builds in a 5 minute break after the 25-minutes, before you move onto another pomodoro - neatly dividing your working time into 30-minute sections.
How it works for me:
I set the timer going on my desktop - it’s running right now, and it shames me into not going off and making a coffee/painting my nails/checking Facebook.
I actually enjoy totting up my completed pomodoros, and even exceeding my target.
Mostly, I find it also reduces the pressure on me to produce high quality work or writing in a first draft – so long as I keep going, I have succeeded, however poor the writing seems.
Because, as I’ve learned from 17 years as a published author, good writing involves editing, and you can’t edit a blank page
A definite benefit for anxious writers and those with vivid imaginations...
I’ve written recently about how I struggle especially in anxious times, like now : you can read my 3 strategies for dealing with uncertainty by doing nice things in this post.
But when it comes to working, we need a different strategy.
I’ve been using the technique for over 10 years now. I would definitely recommend it - do let me know how you get on.