In a world of distractions, it’s easy to get . . . well, distracted. We find ourselves going off on bunny trails that lead to a big patch of distraction clover, or we follow a tiny path just a little ways and end up in the world of new ideas and amazing new things. I’m not saying that new ideas are bad, but if you are trying to get things done, especially if you are trying to focus on writing your story, then those little bunny trails, or tiny paths can be just as dangerous to your writing as if you didn’t work on your story at all.

But what do you do? How can you stay motivated in your writing amidst all the distractions and alluring trails and paths? How do you keep from being distracted by every shiny new plot idea? I’m going to share a few things I’ve learned over the years.

The following is by no means an exhaustive list.

• Hire armed guards for when you write. Just kidding. Sort of. If you want to write, you have to guard that writing time! Perhaps it is just a 20 minute time that you can write. Focus only on your writing. Hide the internet, your phone, whatever you need to do stay focused only on your story. Research can wait until research time.
• Get accountability partners. Really, if you have a hard time not getting distracted by other things, find someone who will hold you accountable to only write during a certain time, or for a certain number of words.
• Shun places like Pinterest and YouTube and Instagram. At least for the length of time you are going to write. Set up a rule that says for every ten minutes spent on social media you have to write for twice that many minutes. Or just don’t get on those places in the first place.
• Find or create an “online free” place to write. (If you write on someplace like google doc and have to have the internet, just make sure all other tabs are closed or hidden.) When you are in that place you are not allowed to get online (checking in for sprints is the only exception). If you need to research something, make a note of it for later and keep writing. Make sure you just write in that place.
• Set up a reward system. Rewards can only be earned if you write x number of words, or for x amount of time. And then stick to it. Earn those rewards. Don’t make the rewards too big though or writing will get lost.
• Relegate Research to other times. Seriously, some people love research so much that they get sucked into the world of endless bunny trails, and the call of being an explorer to new and interesting places that have nothing to do with their story or with what they were researching. While this might be fun and you might pat yourself on the back for how much you are learning, it is not going to help write your story. So stop. Put research in a different time zone. Or at least make it separate from your writing.

But what do you do if you get new ideas and don’t mean to? What if you were trying to get x number of words in and tried to write a short story and it grew on you and now it won’t be quiet?

• Write it. You thought I was going to tell you to lock it up until you had finished your other story, didn’t you? Ha! I’ve tried that. It doesn’t work. At least not for me. So just go for it. Dive in and see where it takes you.
• Just tell yourself the story instead of writing it. That sometimes works for me. But not always, so don’t count on it. But if it does, great! Or maybe you can tell yourself the story and then turn around and write it all really quickly.
• Make your stories take turns. One day focus on one story and the next on the other. Or write 30 minutes on one story and then switch. Or write 1k on one story and then 1k on another. It really doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as both get worked on. And if you accidentally add a 3rd story, work on all three if you can.
• Work on whichever story is moving. If you have multiple stories started like I do, chances are good that one of them will get slightly stuck. If it does, don’t stress, just move on with the others that are going and come back to the one that was stuck. Maybe it was just resting and when you return it will be ready to tell you more of it.

Distractions come in all different shapes and sizes. Some march up boldly and you can see right through their mask and can tell they are a Distraction. If you can tell, turn and run! But some just sidle up and act so innocent. Beware of them. They will eat up your time, your mental energy, and will sap your creativity.

What is something you do to keep from being distracted? Or do you just follow the bunnies and then wish later that you had stayed on track? Do you have any suggestions for not getting distracted?