You will be amazed by how much writing you can do if you eliminate distractions.

These are my top ten tactics:

1. Set up your desk properly.

Remove all the things that you don’t need, like old paperwork. And get the things that you do need, like pens, paper and coffee.

2. Turn off your phone.

3. Turn off your emails.

4. Turn off your internet browser.

5. If you need to research something, write your questions in red and come back to them. Don’t turn your internet browser or your emails back on.

6. Tell your colleagues, family and friends that you are writing and can’t be interrupted.

7. Shut your office door. If you work in an open plan office, put a sign on the back of your chair which says “Please do not disturb, I am writing”.

8. Listen to music without words. Use headphones if you share your work space.

9. Start writing.  Whether you jot down some initial thoughts or sketch an outline, just get started.

10. Keep writing until you are finished.

Don’t quickly do something else, such as make a telephone call, answer an email, check Twitter or ask your colleague about his week-end.

Better writing in less time

By eliminating all these distractions, you will have space to think, imagine, draft, experiment, re-draft and edit .

You will find that you make much faster progress than usual – and the quality of your work will probably improve too.

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