I like to write at home, as long as it’s fairly quiet. I actually do my most focused writing outside of the house, but I’m often too lazy to make myself presentable for the public. Plus, I like my house: it’s nice and bright and I like keeping my dog company. On nice days I can work on my back deck.

But I’m pretty distracted at home, even when no one is here. I’m constantly resisting the temptation to get up every time I finish a sentence. Laundry beckons, the countertops could use decluttering, and all those dishes in the sink! Needless to say, this doesn’t bode well for writing productivity.

I’ve experimented with a solution lately that seems to be working: setting a timer. So far I’ve been working in 20 minute chunks. For those 20 minutes, I sit in front of my computer. I do not:

• Let the dog out
• Answer emails
• Get a refill of water or coffee
• Check Twitter/Facebook/my texts
• Change the radio station or CD

Whatever I want to do has to wait until the timer goes off. I’m finding that the desire to do those things above actually diminishes. Sometimes when the timer ends, I just start it again and wait another 20 minutes to do whatever I was going to do.

My goal is to increase the time to 25- or 30-minute chunks in the near future. I’ve been pleased with my focus while writing at home. Good thing, because I need a lot of focus these next couple of months!