Imagine you have finally set aside time to write your book. You have all the paperwork and notes you need in front of you. You have made your favourite drink, have done all your other tasks, and now you have sat down in your workspace (or stood up as I do), ready to break the back of your book writing.

Perhaps you have your favourite music playing or there is complete silence. Maybe you have some fresh flowers nearby or the smell of food cooking. Everything is serene and your mind is open and ready to write your book.

You calm your mind further by deep breathing. You pick up your pen and gradually move it towards your notes…

Then your phone rings. The caller ID tells you that it is someone close and important to you.

What you do next – the choice you make – will determine whether or not you ever finish writing your book.

What should you do?

You have been making this promise to yourself, yet your heart tells you to answer the phone because that important person may need your help. If you don’t answer you may miss that opportunity.

However, is it really important to answer that phone or are you simply looking for an excuse to stop doing what you are doing?

Those who are really important to you would know that if you don’t answer the phone it is because you are keeping a promise. That you are finishing what you started.

And if it truly is an emergency, you will find out soon enough. Chances are though, that it is not really urgent and does not need to be answered right now.

What can you do to ensure you keep your focus and keep your promise? Turn off your phone and any other devices that may disturb you while you have committed to do your writing so that you can focus on the task at hand.

Three reasons why it is important to tell others to jam it:

1. If you continually respond to other people’s urgent or important demands or requests – will you ever get anything done? Of course you won’t, so you need to decline the phone call or other message that you may receive to keep yourself on track.
2. Could you imagine a pilot or surgeon stopping in the middle of their job to say – ‘sorry guys, just need to take this call – I will come back to you later’ – of course they don’t, so they are telling others to jam it while they are doing what is most important now.
3. Think how you feel when you have made the time to speak or catch up with someone and your conversation is interrupted by third party phone calls or messages – are you thinking they should tell those people to jam it? I know that I am.

With all this said, you also need to make note that while you will tell others to jam it, that they can, and will, do the same to you. Be respectful of that. Everyone’s time is precious. We all have a finite time on this planet to contribute, so make the most of it.

Tell me how you keep your focus.

Send me a picture of your workspace, or type me a note and send it to me dyan@dyanburgess.com look forward to seeing your notes.