Eric Walker

Becoming more focused requires an even greater skill at keeping your focus.

As I have been trying to write more, I have realized that sometimes when I am about to call an article (or topic) good and close my document for the day… Another idea pops into my head and I then start writing out words and thoughts about that topic. In fact, it is happening right now as this is the third blank document that I have started writing today and each topic is different but related.

I always find it interesting when and how ideas come and go. There will be times when I just sit and stare at a blank screen wondering what I could write. I have a whole bunch of ideas but they don’t interest me at that specific time. Then there are other times where I am writing away and going to call it good for that topic only to jump over and start a new topic because I am in the zone.

“Everyone should write a blog, every day, even if no one reads it. There’s countless reasons why it’s a good idea and I can’t think of one reason it’s a bad idea.” - Seth Godin on the Unmistakable Creative Podcast

To that point, I couldn’t agree more when people say to just write every day. Just let the words flow out on-screen (or paper) even if it is something you will never publish. The worst thing that happens is that you spent some time writing. The upside, however, is that you just crushed it and wrote a whole bunch of amazing content.

Now to flip the discussion… Is it a bad thing to write about different topics and have a lot of them going at the same time?

I would say I fall into this camp and I am not sure if it is a good thing or not. The only downside I can see right now is that I write a little bit about each of the topics I am working on and never fully finish any of them. Because I keep jumping around from one to the other adding a sentence here or there or just rereading my thoughts.

On the other hand, when I get to a point of not knowing what to write, I have some drafts already started that I might be able to just pick right back up where I left off and hopefully complete it.

What do you do in order to keep focused on your current writing or the drafts you have going?