Whatever the cause may be, being distracted does cause all kinds of negative consequences, including workplace accidents, vehicle crashes, loss of productivity, relationship problems, and poor grades. CAN DISTRACTIONS MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER? For a writer, distraction threatens to stop the projects and keeps them away from the thoughtfulness and attentiveness; they need to draft beautiful prose and meet limit lines.
So, how Easily Distracted Are You? That distractibility could be a sign of creative genius. People who are terrible at adapting the nonsense around them also happen to be more highly creative than their focused peers.
“Highly intelligent and creative individuals are eight times more likely to have a faulty latent inhibition filter.” That means that while most people can tune out noises or other distractions that are not suitable to them, these creative types pay attention to the madness every time.
When we talk about distractions, we are talking about more than one thing at a time. Getting distracted “by” something is not the same thing as getting distracted– “from” something. Words, like closing all internet browsers, powering off your cellphone and working in a low-stimulus environment, can help you from getting distracted by sounds or people.
Usually, our distraction goes beyond those things that capture our attention. We feel bored or overwhelmed, and we go looking for a distraction to take us away from our discomfort. “It’s not just that we choose our distractions; it is that the comfort we draw from being distracted, is the pleasure of taking action and being free. Life normally seems to be about paying attention—and this general trend seems to be towards an ever more attentive way of life.” With so much value given to paying attention, even the smallest distractions threaten what we say is most important.
No harm if we are distracted by better things? What if some good comes from allowing our attention to jump to the train whistle or a birdsong?
The inability to filter out environmental distractions could lead to creative breakthroughs. Instead of ignoring whatever has popped up, what if you could use it instead?”
Let’s see how we can make the right use of distractions—
1. Use distraction to create new ideas–
CAN DISTRACTIONS MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER? For writers, mainly, entertainment can serve as an invaluable tool. For example, distraction fueled by curiosity can be a great idea generator. Many times, we research one idea only to be distracted by another factoid that leads the author in a different direction.
2. Let distraction release the writer’s block–
Distraction also can be a useful remedy for writers. Lot of us think distraction keeps us from being productive. But when the writer is stuck drafting a particularly complicated part, often he finds the way through by allowing himself to be distracted for a few minutes. I get up for a cup of tea, step outside for some fresh air, or browse Instagram for a few minutes.
3. Adopt distractions for Motivation–
CAN DISTRACTIONS MAKE YOU A BETTER WRITER? The best distractions also can refresh and inspire us. Not only does the disturbance give a break from a problem paragraph, but it also bolsters the writer’s spirit and calms them down. The distraction feeds their creative vision. Of course, we do need to get our work done, which requires at least a dash of focus. Some disturbances deaden our creativity and leave us dull and senseless.
Ultimately, finding a balance between focused attention and rabbit trail exploration may make us better writers…and better humans.
