Writing in solitude? · 5:21am Jun 20th, 2015
It has long been accepted that a good writing environment is one free of clutter and distractions, and… well, it’s pretty much true, isn’t it? I mean, how can you argue with that? The fewer times you check your email—well, okay, I’m not sure anyone actually still checks email, but the point stands—the more time you might spend actually writing. In fact, people will often go out of their way to write full screen programs and even build single-use devices in the quest for a simple, uninterrupted workflow.
They’re right to do so. I would love to have an overpriced e-ink typewriter… but, there is a catch.
It’s all well and good to keep distractions away from your work, but that's assuming that you’re working and trying not to get distracted. What about all those times when you are just faffing about on Fimfiction or Tumblr or, god help you, TV Tropes and you start looking for something else to do? If your clean and pure writing environment is sequestered away in another program, on another virtual desktop, or on another device entirely… what are the chances you’ll actually pick it up next?
Not very likely.
It’s something to consider, and from it comes an interesting experiment to try—keeping the thing you need to do as the rightmost tab of your browser, so that it’s always the first thing you see when you close something else. Does anyone here do that? How does it work for you? I’ve been trying it for a day or two, and I’ve gotten a little done†, but I'm still not entirely sold. If you’re not big on the idea either, then what works for you?
† There should be words this month, but expect something a little different than normal. A lot different. It’s a test.
Personally I just pin any tabs that I will need later. As for the effectiveness of my method... ask the guy I was supposed to edit for two months ago.
Keeping the tabs open in my browser? Works awfully. I've tried it for months and eventually just closed them all, either because I needed the space in my browser's tab bar or because I needed the extra memory/processing power that was being hogged.
I'm certainly a victim of my work environment distracting me. I'll have to try the rightmost tab thing.
My 2001 laptop is what I use for writing. Runs Windows XP and doesn't have the RAM to do anything other than word processing. No WiFi so no internet. A family is distraction enough.
I use Gnome 3's workspaces (virtual desktops) to organize my activities. I dedicate a desktop to each "mode" I might be in, essentially. Programming, writing, web browsing, consuming media, etc. If I find myself distracted, browsing reddit in my programming workspace, I'll separate out the tabs into a new window and move it to a new workspace, or my browsing workspace if I already have one.
Then when I want to change modes, I just switch workspaces, and now I'm ready to code or write or pick a show to watch or whatever. Every time I go to switch windows or open something via "overview mode", I also see all my workspaces, so I don't have any problems with forgetting about them. I find the worse problem is when I leave something unrelated open on my programming workspace, and then get distracted from there.
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This is actually pretty much exactly my usual method as well, though I use Dexpot on Windows. Somehow, though, seeing my writing desktop on the bottom right corner of my screen just doesn’t seem to have the same immediacy as having it pop up fullscreen in my browser, essentially interrupting what I’m doing. I suppose, though, that 3165265 has a point, and I’d eventually just get used to it as I have the desktop. Never hurts to change things up once in a while, though.