The good side of not having a WIFI/ Internet connection

Maybe some of you have a set time for when to check your email, blogspot, websites or yahoogroups (social networking groups). Well, not this author. Time management? What’s that? That doesn’t exist in this author’s life, which I am sure my husband wishes I would try.

I am the kind that would check the inbox every five or so minutes (my yahoogroups mail comes in my Windows Live Mail account). Checking my mailboxes is almost like an addiction that gets in my way of writing. I am aware of this, but not doing anything to stop it. I have stories to edit and polish but couldn’t concentrate because I have to check my mail. Sad, huh?

Anyway, our recent trip to Disneyland helped me get away from the dratted little envelope I am itching to click right now. How? No internet connection. Yup.
Sitting inside the car with my laptop open and not getting the connection was like having a withdrawal. I was irritated and easily annoyed. I. Want. My. Internet. Subscribing to the hotel’s pricey internet connection came to mind, but I didn’t succumb to the pressure. So without my internet, my attention focused on the novel I was supposed to finish.

After two hours, I found myself staring at my finished novel. Inspired, I decided to write a short, which I also finished. Wow. For the first time, I wrote a story for over an hour without reading and replying to my emails in between. I saw the good side of not having an internet connection. Now, I began to analyze my situation. Could it be that the internet slowed down my writing productivity? Yes!

I realized that checking my email became a major distraction from doing my main task every day. Before my email addiction, I would fire up my coffee pot first thing in the morning. Not anymore. Checking my email took over the number one spot on my things to do. Okay, you might say, “well, there is nothing wrong with that.” See here, checking would mean reading the emails, then replying to them and maybe visit the links suggested on the email. By the time I was done checking my emails, I already lost a big portion of my time supposed to be spent in writing or editing.
Email is a distraction! Luckily, there is a solution. Switch off the WIFI connection. I know, I know. Email is important. We authors, have to communicate with our editors, author friends and readers. But the job that helps us make money should come first. Writing.

Write first. When you get tired and need a break, check your email. However, be aware of the time you spend reading and replying.

Okay, enough of the personal rant. :D Just want to share this news to everyone. My editor suggested that I write a series for my stand-alone Knight Brothers novel. That would mean writing four novels. Five when I add the story about the Knight brothers only sister. So, understanding about the negative side of my addiction came at the right time. Write first.

If you have good advice about time management post it here, any thoughts about email and internet use, we’d like to hear about it.


Happy Friday everyone!


Tierney
http://tierneyomalley.com