With NaNoWriMo rapidly approaching, I’ve been taking daily digital wanders around the blog-o-sphere and Twitterverse to see what all the other writers are up to. One such fellow writer (and blogger), Daniel Koeker, recently wrote this post about the little things that he requires in order to be productive.
That got me, of course, thinking about the things that I require in order to be productive. The list that I came up with explains why I regularly have a hard time getting my brain to buckle down and write.
1. Comfort
I can’t write at all if I’m uncomfortable. That means sitting at a desk is pretty much out of the question. I have to be curled up on the couch or snuggled up in bed with a dozen pillows. If it’s chilly I need a fuzzy sweater or blanket. This is a major thing for me and is reason that I’m so peeved that my laptop’s battery is kaput and needs to be plugged in all the time. I thrive from being able to pluck up my laptop and snuggle in wherever I can be most comfortable.
2. Quiet
I’m not talking about ultimate silence here…just a reasonable level of quiet. I can work to music or even a television show, but if there are people trying to talk to me or distracting noises like a phone ringing or the neighbor mowing their lawn, I completely lose my train of thought. Even better, it seems to take me ages to get that train back in the station. My mind is just that easy to wander.
3. Nothing else to do
If that sounds impossible…yeah, it pretty much is. But basically the more other stuff I have to do, the harder I find it to concentrate and be productive. I’m the kind of person who sets out to write a chapter and instead ends up doing the dishes and going through my closet for clothes that don’t fit anymore. It depends on the number of things on my mental to-do list, but I find it very, very difficult to be productive at one thing (say, writing) when I know I have three dozen other things that I need (or want) to get done.
Other than that, for the most part, I don’t require a lot in order to be productive…just a desire to be so and a bit of willpower.
Make that a lot of willpower. >.>
What about you? What do you require in order to be productive?
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