Mastering Focus: How One Task at a Time Leads to Writing Success

Work on one thing at a time until finished.
-Henry Miller

People often take pride in being great multi-taskers. The problem is the human mind can only focus on one task at a time.

Here’s a simple test to prove my theory.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and write until the timer expires.

Count the words you wrote in 10 minutes.

Repeat the test while stopping to take a sip of water every 10 words and check your word count.

This is task switching. It slows you down.

Now set a timer for 15 minutes and write again until the timer expires.

Did you write 50% more words than your first test? Or did you write twice as many words in 15 minutes as you wrote in 10.

I’ve done this test dozens of times and my results are always the same. I write twice as many words in 15 minutes as I can write in 10 minutes.

This is the power of focus, which becomes greater over time.

This is why I am such a staunch advocate of scheduling your writing sessions, and keeping those appointments with yourself.

This is time set aside to write. Nothing else.

And when you write for 60 minutes straight, you will amaze yourself at your output.

Each time you amaze yourself in this way, it provides deeper and deeper motivation to keep doing it.

I call this developing a writing habit.

Christopher di Armani | Author & Coach