Yesterday, I read this article on Lifehacker about how surfing the Web at work can make people more productive.
I wasn’t surprised to hear this. While I work at a desk with a great view of a lake and have everything I need to do my job as a technical writer, aspects of my job aren’t much different than all the warehouse and factory jobs I once worked. (Well, there is that luxury of having air conditioning in the office, which is nice during the summer in Texas!)
A large part of my job is moving things (information) around and eventually breaking it down to tiny steps. In many ways, it reminds me of gathering materials in a warehouse to make something and then put it in a box for shipping.
Most jobs I’ve had–manual labor and office work–have never been particularly difficult. So that short break to check something else, to pull me from the monotony of what I may be doing, helps keep me focused on work.
Writing is Different (At Least for Me)
As I mentioned above, I pay the bills as a technical writer. At times, I do have to focus more to understand a process or throw myself completely into a large procedure without distraction. During those times, I force myself to take breaks, but I don’t look at anything online. I walk around and stay in that zone…just like I [usually] do when I’m home and working on a novel.
When I’m working on a short story, article, or novel, I disconnect from everything. The phone goes off and the Web browser is shut down. If my wife is awake, I let her know that I’m going to be writing for several hours. I block out the world with [mostly] instrumental music.
To take a break and surf the Web or check social media sites when I’m writing makes me anything but productive. But there have been times I took that online break in the past year or so because I felt I had to.
What about My Writing Platform?
[Okay, so I’m not a fan of referring to what I write as a brand or platform, but hey–it made for a good subheading.]
As more people replied to my blog and chatted with me online, I felt like I needed to be available for those people. I know people who make a living by interacting with people online, and some of that philosophy transferred to me in the last year. That, and most of my friends stay in touch through Facebook.
While I can take a break and check things online when I’m entering edits I’ve already done on a manuscript (mindless work), I can’t do it while writing…but I was doing just that!
Thanks, Monica!
Monica Valentinelli, who was the inspiration for me to cut out social media for 50 days, recently wrote about the compulsion to always be available for her fans. In the entry, she writes:
“Being hyper-connected doesn’t work for me, so I’ve since figured out a better way to manage my time to focus on what’s important.”
In the last year it may look like I’ve been productive–recording a podcast, releasing ebooks and polishing a novel to submit to agents–but I worked on things that allowed me to feel productive while dealing with distractions. I worked on things I’d already written, kidding myself that I was being “busy.” Part of the reason I did that was the compulsion to be available to people online.
I Like People!
Even when I was so shy that I couldn’t talk to even some people I’ve known for years, I liked people. So I love the ability to be online and in touch with people all around the world now that I’m not so shy. More than that, since I often chat with people online about writing, I felt like I was being productive; after all, who was going to buy what I wrote? How was I going to let people know I exist?
Social media sites seemed like the natural answer, but I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore.
My 50-day break isn’t an attack against social media. As I stated above, I know people who make a living communicating with others online. My 50-day break from social media is to reinforce what I already know: that–just like Monica Valentinelli–always being online doesn’t work for me.
I need to manage my time better and focus what’s most important: writing!
The Social Media Break and Writing
I’m enjoying my break from the online world so I can be more productive.
For me, writing isn’t like working in a factory or working at most desk jobs I’ve had–it requires much more focus. Since writing is one of the things I enjoy more than most things in my life, I owe it to myself and to what I love to find that old focus. That means taking this break.
I’ve already thought about extending the social media break to 100 days; hell, I’ve even tinkered with the thought of staying off social media sites until I finish my next novel!
That seems like a long time away, but if I focus on what’s important to me, it may not be as long as it would be if I let the Web continue to distract me while doing what I love.
How about you? Does surfing the Web while writing work, or does it get in the way?
I’ve decided once the 50 day break is over, I’m going back. As a costumer, social media HAS helped… I’ve met more costumers and discovered more blogs (which means more access to sewing tips and historical research). Not to mention, I actually have more people replying to me when I post! It’s kinda nice not feeling all alone out there since I chose to self-host a blog instead of joining the community on Blogger (I actually did create a Blogger account to make it easier to chat with them and they would know who I was).
I have discovered that I run to check social media WAY too much. So when I come back from my break, I need to control the “must check!” reflexes. I also have figured out how I’ll use it. Some things won’t change, but others like Facebook… I think I will create a public CFGriffith.com FB page, and then thin out my personal FB list because I’m bombarded or feel uncomfortable with people I don’t know as well on there.
Yes, I definitely waste too much time and have too many distractions with being on social media instead of focusing on my website and sewing. On the other hand, I feel lonely without having as much contact with fellow costumers, and who knows what great helpful stuff I’m missing from those who share links they don’t post on their blogs.
Cynthia,
I was surprised when you jumped in and took the 50-day break, too. In many ways, you’ve done better than me with your blog, and I think you stand to lose more than I do since communicating online is a bit more important for you. When I mention a Juggling Writer update online, I don’t really see an increase in traffic. But you’re the opposite; you mention something new and you get a little rush.
Like you, I was checking things too much. And when I eventually return, I don’t see trying to keep up with everything. I miss some things about it, but overall, I can do without it. Like you, I can definitely see using Facebook much differently.
Just so you know, Chris…your blog post about taking a social media fast came at a crucial point for me. I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the obsession to constantly check Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, zillions of blogs, boatloads of emails, etc.
So, I bought the book Fast Media – Media Fast. I’m nearly halfway through the book, and it is revolutionizing my perception of my utilization of media. I’m in the process of structuring my hybrid media fast.
Social media is much too distracting for me when I’m writing. I’ve even considered not allowing internet on my “writing computer” to staunch the influx.
Thanks for changing my life, Chris. Seriously.
M.E.,
You can thank Monica Valentinelli since I wouldn’t be doing this [at least right now] had I not read about her 100-day break from social media.
I like your idea for a dedicated writing computer. In the past, I bought a deliberately slow computer that handled word processing well, but wasn’t strong enough for much more than that. Not having access to the Internet on that system was great.
With my current system, I’m disciplined enough to shut things down, but instead of 3-4 hours of totally being dedicated to writing when I had the opportunity, I’d write for an hour (or to a stopping point), and check out what was happening online. I’d go back to writing for awhile and do it all over again…back to checking Twitter and other sites.
I’ve always taken breaks at stopping points, but it’s usually stretching my legs and getting a couple sips of water…then back to writing. But once Facebook, Twitter, and even Google+ came along, I found myself pulled out of that focus I once had.
I can handle the interruption if what I’m writing is an article or something very plot driven. But for something a bit deeper…it affects my writing. The last novel I wrote was more involved, and it wasn’t until I had time to totally focus that I finished it. So I know with the next novel–which I hope is deeper and more involved than the last–that I can’t allow distractions of any sort.
One of the biggest things I’ve realized since taking my break is how the brain almost rewires its need for instant gratification. When I started writing in the late 80s/early 90s, I have an IBM Selectric typewriter. I had a tape deck and some music. There was nothing to really interrupt me, so my mind was conditioned to write for hours. I also worked factory/warehouse jobs with a single focus. Even when the Internet really came along, I had to dial in on a 1200 baud modem, so it really wasn’t worth the effort.
Now I work a job with plenty of distractions (email, people stopping by my desk, instant messages, phone calls), and I got hooked on checking social media sites while writing. The Internet is always right there. It’s all so distracting to me.
Even though I’ve cut out social media, my brain still craves it. It’s an instant reaction: I reach a point where in the past I’d get some water and get right back to writing, and now I think, “Check things online.” Now that I’m not checking things online, there’s still this urge in my head to do something else completely different than writing for a few minutes.
I suspect it will be quite some time before that Pavlovian reaction is cleared from my head and I’m back to truly writing in peace.