Do You Ever Get Distracted While Blogging?

I love the Internet! Unfortunately I think I am addicted to it… I have so many blogs and websites bookmarked it is scary. I can’t tell you how many times a day I check out sites like CNN.com and ESPN.com to see what is going on in the world, check the stock market, or to stay up with my favorite sports scores. Also I am subscribed to so many RSS feeds, as well as my favorite webmaster newsletter lists that there is always a continuous flow of emails I could be viewing. Plus I read at least a couple dozen of my favorite Blogger’s daily posts, and if I get the time I usually try to leave at least one comment on each.

Well as a blogger, this can be VERY DISTRACTING! Seriously… it seems every time I start to write a new post, I start out typing away… words just seem to flow out effortlessly. Next thing I know, my mind starts to drift and I start thinking about something else like, “I wonder if John has replied to my email yet”, or “I wonder if the S&P 500 is still down for the day”. So, inevitably I leave my partially completed post and go check on whatever distracted me. Next thing I know an hour or two has passed and if there is still enough time to get back to my post, usually I have lost my train of thought and it takes quite a while to get my mind back to the subject at hand.

Eventually I finish the post, but if I wasn’t distracted, I could have completed it in a fraction of the time. When I complain to my wife about this she always tells me to just disconnect from the Internet, so I can stay focused. Unfortunately, I just can’t find the willpower to do it.

Today I am testing my solution to my lack of willpower, and I will let you know how it works at the end of this post. I have owned a laptop (this is my second one) for several years now and the only time I HAVE EVER USED IT is when I go on business trips or vacations. I don’t think I have ever pulled it out at home, except for when I first purchased it to make sure it worked.

Well today is the start of a new day as far as my laptop is concerned. My goal for the summer and hopefully beyond is get out of the house every day and see if I can write a post or two while I am out of the office. Today I am sitting by the pool in my favorite outdoor chair with my boys, and they are playing in the water with a couple of their school buddies. They are having a great time and I am totally focused on this post… it is Heaven!

My boys actually have a week and a half left of school, as they are in year-round, so next week I am going to try a couple other locations and see how they work out. On Monday I am going to try writing at the Library, which I think is going to work out great, and one day I am going to head down to the beach and see how that works. I am really excited about trying this new routine.

OK… the post is over and I never stopped typing because of distractions, except once to tie my youngest boy’s swimsuit, as it kept falling down. So far this new technique is working! Now I get to jump in the pool and play for a while myself and then I might try and crank out another post for another blog!

How about you guys? Any of you get distracted by the Internet or just working at home? Do you have any tips for our readers to keep them focused? Please leave your comments below.