Hello Reader—

A writer emailed me the other day.

She was having trouble working on her book.

She said:

“One of the reasons I have not gone farther with writing is because family sees me working at a computer, or like today with a cell phone and thinks I’m goofing off.”

I face this EXACT problem all the time.

You see…

I work at home.

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I’m lucky enough to write in a home office.

I’m also lucky enough to have three kids!

Our youngest is five.

He sometimes runs into the office looking for me to print a coloring picture.

Thor.

Ironman.

Hulk.

Writing interrupted.

On other days, a family member calls to the house and wonders what I’m doing upstairs.

The problem?

After calls and coloring pics, reaching a state of creative flow takes up to 15 minutes.

Now, I can’t explain this to a five-year-old.

So, here’s what I do:

Write when it’s quiet in the house. Usually, that’s first thing in the morning or late at night. Or when the kids are at school.

When it's loud...Get noise-canceling headphones. A good pair of headphones, or even earplugs, blocks out most distractions… assuming the house isn’t on fire behind you.

Explain what I’m working on. I don’t like talking much about creative projects. That said, mentioning why I’m wearing earplugs and swearing about auto-correct at least sets expectations for others.

Write with the door closed. Rewrite with the door open. That’s a classic piece of advice from Stephen King about first drafts and editing. I take it literally, though. I’ll close the home office door when it’s time to work.

Go for a long walk. Writing doesn’t always happen at the desk. I sometimes go for a long walk with my phone and earphones. I fire up the voice memo app or Otter and Speak. I’ll end with a few thousand words of ideas… all as a first draft.

Work in a library or a coffee shop. Child-minder sorted, I sometimes take my laptop and work in a local library for an hour or two. Free Wi-Fi, office space, and no distractions. Bliss.