Sometimes there are time sucks that get in the way of my playwriting. When this occurs, I feel frustrated at my own lack of productivity. I may sometimes go down the rabbit hole into Twitter (I have quit Facebook), especially on a big news day. Other times, I’m surfing the internet, telling myself I’m doing research. HA!
Freedom is a fantastic app that kicks me off the internet for a set period of time, or bans me from certain websites.
One of the smart techniques Freedom recommends to keep my productivity on track is Avoiding Decision Fatigue. Obviously in writing, we’re making dozens of decisions: word choice, plot points, character traits, and so on. This can lead to decision fatigue, leading to a lack of willpower to make good decisions about my time.
And it takes willpower to make decisions… but only conscious decisions. The more smart choices I can ingrain as habits, the easier it is to carry them out and avoid decision fatigue. I don’t have to think about these decisions, and things happen automatically. So setting aside a given place and time to write every day puts the decision on auto-pilot, and it’s aided by my trusty friend, Freedom.