Or You Could Try A Little Self-Discipline
Daniella Zalcman writes in the WSJ that writers are seeking cafes without Wifi:
The wall of the Hungarian Pastry Shop features the framed covers of books written in the cafe, which lacks wireless Internet access.The whole world is hankering for faster Internet access. Then there's novelist Adam Langer, who does his writing in the low-tech Hungarian Pastry Shop in Morningside Heights.
"Not only do they not have Wi-Fi," said Langer, 43, author of "The Thieves of Manhattan." "They don't have any usable outlets, so I have to be incredibly focused because I don't have a ton of time on my MacBook battery."
Langer isn't alone. The Hungarian Pastry Shop's wall of framed book covers, each by authors who typed amid the cafe's din, is testimony to the growing appeal of Internet-free spaces.
Gone are the days when a café with good enough coffee, a lax policy on lingering and an open Wi-Fi signal made it the perfect spot for writers to work. With infinite temptations just a mouse click away, many writers are seeking out an increasingly scarce amenity in a wired city: disconnected workspaces.
I just tell myself I have to write from, say, 1pm to 2pm, and then I can check my e-mail. I need to always be on in case some paper doesn't get the column, so I have mobile broadband. (Which I use at my favorite cafe where there's no Internet.) When I need really fast Internet, I write from home. Too many people on at Starbucks. It's the Wifi version of a tenement where everybody's flushing the toilet at the same time.
UPDATE: Jay J. Hector sent me this link to an app for Mac that blocks Internet access for a period of time -- Self Control 1.3. Really, peeps -- can't you just do as I do and tell yourself no Internet until you've written for an hour?
This is an old trick for National Novel Writer's Month. And while I'm glad an hour's worth of laser focus isn't a problem for you, it clearly can be for others. And it's not just a matter of wanting to goof off. If you get an outlook alert that your boos/ mother/ biggest client just sent you an email the inclination is to take care of it as soon as possible. If you need to do a quick fact check, then you can lose an hour of time to research without realizing it. And nothing focuses you quite like needing to beat the clock. If you're at the stage of writing where getting words on the paper is all that matters (eg; not editing) racing a dying battery is a wonderful motivator. Why insult people who are using tools and tricks to be more productive? Personally I'd rather save the self-discipline for things like staying on diet or getting my bills mailed in time. I'm totally not above using cheats like this when possible.
Elle at March 16, 2011 8:51 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2011/03/16/or_you_could_tr.html#comment-1930694">comment from ElleThis is an old trick for National Novel Writer's Month. And while I'm glad an hour's worth of laser focus isn't a problem for you, it clearly can be for others.
I have ADHD -- I'm clinically unable to concentrate. Laser focus is a horrible problem for me, but I struggle and struggle and refuse to let myself cheat.
Amy Alkon
at March 16, 2011 9:42 AM
A friend of mine has multiple userids on his laptop. One per 'task'. Recording, writing, ... Each one set up with only the apps needed for each task enabled. Therefore he is not distracted by background noise.
Ray at March 16, 2011 11:01 AM
But why struggle when you dont have to? There's no virtue in needlessly struggling when there are tools and tricks to help. You take Ritalin or something similar to help you concentrate because of the atypical brain chemistry you have. Why is it then when someone neurotypical uses a hack like this to improve their concentration they are displaying a lack of self-discipline? It's like cleaning the apartment to music. Sure I could exercise the self discipline to scrub counters in tomb-like silence, but putting on music makes it easier. This is just the technological equivalent of going to the library to study, a hundred-year old tradition for those seeking less distraction while they work.
Elle at March 16, 2011 12:11 PM
Tell us more Amy! I am too having those problems. What are your secrets to be disciplined and becoming a work-a-holic. I want to change from a lazy good for nothing to a go getter.
John Paulson at March 16, 2011 7:59 PM
I'm a pretty good multi-tasker, so I can surf and work at the same time. I know some people are distracted by the shiny, and, since I've been unemployed, I totally get the need to leave the house just to get the illusion you've been out in the world.
That said, can't you just turn the wireless off? I have a Mac and it's a one-click to disconnect and be sans wireless. I don't do it, because it's not a problem for me, but really, it's ONE FREAKING BUTTON.
Frankly, if you lack that tiny amount of self discipline, you should probably just stay home.
Just sayin'.
Daghain at March 17, 2011 12:15 AM
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