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Transcript

Dealing with Distractions · The Daily Writer

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Daily Writer, where we share a lesson each day to help you cultivate the habits for creative success.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine if you were a writer living 200 years ago.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: You probably lived on a farm and woke up at the crack of dawn with the sound of a rooster.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_00: You worked all day and went to bed not long after sundown.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: If you were a writer in this environment, this would be perfect for getting your work done.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: There weren't many distractions except for your family, a farm, and some animals.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: Well, of course that's not the case today.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: We have a constant stream of distractions all around us.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: Social media, streaming services, email, notifications, text messages, and a hundred other things compete for our attention every second of the day.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: No wonder it's hard to get any work done.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, if distractions are a debilitating factor for you, then perhaps some advice from Stephen King is in order.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_00: He once said, if you're just starting out as a writer, you could do worse than strip your television's electric plug wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_00: See what blows and how far.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just an idea.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: Now that may sound extreme, but there is some wisdom in his logic.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: He's saying that we must do whatever it takes to eliminate distractions.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_00: So the only question that remains is what are you willing to do?
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we don't need to be as extreme as Stephen King suggests, but there are many things we can do to stem the tide of distractions.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it means canceling your Netflix subscription, shutting off app notifications, not using your phone after a certain time of the day, or going into another room with no technology so you can focus on writing.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Nobody said this would be easy, but it's worth it.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: What is one action you can take to eliminate distractions in the next 24 hours?
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, thanks so much for listening to today's episode.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: For more, you can visit us at dailywriterlife.com.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks, and I'll see you tomorrow.