Building Your Best Writing Environment
One thing almost every single author loves, is advice on how to make our writing time more productive. Whether we’re writing 50, 500, 5,000 or more words a day, we all wonder if we could be writing more. Not necessarily putting in more minutes or hours, but getting more words out in the time that we have.
A lot of practical writing advice on this topic given across the internet focuses on tips and tricks to make your writing better. And while I think all of those are useful, I don’t think they focus on the easiest lever we can pull. The easiest thing you can do for yourself is to consciously and deliberately create an ideal writing ambiance, for you. The good news is - this doesn’t have to cost money, doesn’t have to take a long time, doesn’t require you to change how you write, doesn’t need a lot of space, and can yield a really positive result. A few days ago I used some of these tips to write over 12,000 words in one day - on a day that I also slept in, walked my dog, did some cleaning, and even had people over (safely and responsibly, don’t worry).
The trick to creating ambiance is to remember that all of your 5 senses are constantly firing and relaying information to your brain, in ways that either empower and strengthen your brain, or confuse and distract it. So to create an environment that will help you write, you want to take as much stress off of each sense as you possibly can, by removing the distractions while also including elements that appeal to each sense.
Looking for some ideas on how to do this? Want to know the impact of each sense? Keep reading.
Smell
Let’s start with smell, because I think this is the easiest one to overlook. Obviously, most of us don’t want to be in a space that smells bad. But I think we can sometimes underestimate the power of a writing space that smells good. Why? Good smells are both comforting and focusing. Good smells, smells that we like, make us feel relaxed and at ease. And as that part of your brain is relaxed and at ease, it creates more space for your brain to focus on the tasks you do want to focus on.
Ideas for Sources of Good Smells:
Flowers or Potpourri
Your favorite scented lotions
Essential Oils
Candles
Baking something sweet right before you write
Heating juice or sugar on the stove (but be careful not to burn it!)
Taste/Satisfaction
Tied with Smell, for a commonly overlooked sense, I think is taste. I’m calling this taste/satisfaction because I’m also going to talk about being comfortably full. Managing your hunger is so important! Hunger and thirst become distracting to your brain long before you actually realize that you’re hungry or thirsty. But if you’re anything like me, keeping food close to your writing environment might lead to more eating than writing.
First, I think before you start writing make sure that you’re comfortably full - as in satisfied but not stuffed - and that you’ve had a drink. Second, plan an eating break, set an alarm if you have to! What I do recommend having near you is a beverage that you enjoy (as in, not just water unless you genuinely love just water). Unlike eating, drinking is often less distracting of an activity. But it also gives your brain a little break from time to time, a small reset to help you focus. And when it’s a tasty beverage that you enjoy, it can also be a good tiny serotonin boost too, a little treat to keep you happy.
Ideas for Sources of Good Taste/Satisfaction:
Eat before you write, and plan your eating breaks
Keep a tasty beverage near you
Brush your teeth before you start! (Sounds quirky but can actually make a difference)
Suck on a breath mint
No/Limited Alcohol if it’s a long session (disturbs focus, promotes mental fatigue)
Touch/Physical Comfort
The name touch can be misleading, but I guarantee this is a lever that everyone can appreciate, because it’s all about being comfy and cozy! The thing about being physically comfortable is that we don’t always consciously realize that we’re uncomfortable, but our subconscious does! So the more we can make our bodies as comfortable as possible, the freer our mind is to focus. Now, whether we’re sneaking writing time during work or a lunch break, or right before we leave the house, I know we can’t always dress up in our comfiest clothes. But when we do have the time and the freedom - make sure you’re dressed in what you actually find comfortable! Whether that’s yoga pants, sweatpants, a tee shirt, a sweater, a snuggie, all or none of the above, get in the clothes that are so comfortable you forget you’re wearing them.
Beyond this, take stock of the temperature where you are. Is it too warm? Too cool? What can you do to fix it before you start? Take stock of where you’re writing. The couch or bed might be comfortable for TV time, but do you actually enjoy writing with your laptop in your lap? I will write in my bed, the armchair in my room, on my couch, at my kitchen counter, etc. etc. But if we’re being honest, I know I am most comfortable writing at my desk where my computer and chair and desk are all perfectly aligned so that the laptop is at a comfortable height for my eyes and my body. Find the writing space that gives you this comfort, and don’t be afraid to move from spot to spot.
Ideas for Sources of Good Touch/Physical Comfort):
Try different writing spots/positions to see where you’re most comfortable
Set the thermostat/fan/space warmer up ahead of time
Wear comfortable clothing
Keep a blanket or pillow nearby
If you fidget while thinking, a fidget device
Roll out your hands and wrists before writing for long periods of time
Take breaks to stretch your body out, especially if you hunch or lean to write
Stand to your feet every once in a while to promote circulation
Give yourself permission to move around and change positions or locations
Go to the bathroom
Hearing
Here’s one most of us probably already think about, so I won’t belabour the point too much. Yes - what we hear when we’re writing can either be a huge source of support, or a huge distraction. And of course, one of the biggest tools that we have at our disposal to change this is music. However, music isn’t the only lever. Don’t forget, every environment you’re in has its own ambient noise, and that can be helpful or harmful too.
If you can’t change the noise (crowded street noise, noisy kids/coworkers/strangers, buzzing fridge) then yes, let’s use a strategy to mask the noise, such as headphones. But there are sometimes noises that we can control, but don’t, because we haven’t paid enough attention to realize that they’re a distraction. Something as simple as moving to another room, closing a window or door, or even distracting kids or pets in another part of the house might require pre-planning but reward you with more focus.
Also, when it comes to sounds that we do want, music doesn’t have to mean a playlist of your favorite hits. Many writers find music with lyrics to be particularly distracting, because the brain is trying to both process the words it’s hearing, and at the same time create different words. Luckily, no matter what genre of music you love, apps like spotify, apple music, pandora, and even youtube make it easier to find sound selections with no words to get the brain going.
Ideas for Sources of Good Sounds:
Make sure windows/doors are closed
Check that noisy electronics are silenced/turned off
If possible, move away from loud appliances
Use comfortable headphones to amplify positive sounds
Like a genre? Search for “Lo-Fi [genre] beats” or even “[genre] no words” playlists
Like music to fit a mood? Search for “[Mood] Movie Soundtrack” playlists
Like classical? Search [Mood] classical or even [Mood] [Instrument] (i.e. Sad Piano)
Just need some calm? Search ambient noise on youtube, there’s hours of good ones
Ads distracting you? Use them to cue stretching, drinking, bathroom, or other breaks
Like background conversation? Search Coffeehouse or Bar Ambient/Background Noise
Sight
Now, let’s bring it all home with sight. Sight is somehow both the most obvious and the easiest to overlook sense all at once. I think that’s because we all tend to get focused on either our computer/laptop or on our notebook/typewriter as we write, and we can forget about the optics of our environment. But - and this is coming from a naturally messy and cluttered person - having a distraction free environment is huge.
Going through our list, we’ve eliminated most of our distractions already! But sight distractions can be impactful distractions too. And the thing is, I can’t tell you what will or won’t be a sight distraction for you. For example, my desk space has lotions, coasters, a microphone, a mousepad, a printer, a window, etc. etc. But when I focus on clearing it to write, I have to get rid of random pieces of paper/notecards/post-its, as well as any cans/bottles I may have let build up during my work from home cadence throughout the week. For other people, they might have to eliminate all of the clutter I keep around my desk just to be able to think. Experiment with what needs to be cleaned up, in whatever environment you’re writing in.
Then, as with everything else, the fun doesn’t stop there. Beyond getting rid of the visual clutter, try adding in something that’s visually appealing. Not only because it will once again increase your comfort (there’s that word again) as you write. But also because it gives your eyes an easy and pleasant resting point when your brain is working, trying to think. Positioning also matters. When I’m writing at my desk, I have some kind of pleasant focal point to both my left and my right, but not behind my laptop. When I’m focused on the screen, there’s nothing pulling my focus or distracting my eyes. But when I pause for a moment to think, my eyes will naturally fall to either side and rest on something aesthetically pleasing, giving my mind the space to process. What I love about the list below is that you’ll see a lot of repeats of things that were already on previous lists, letting you work smarter not harder.
Ideas for Sources of Good Visuals:
Remove clutter or trash that is distracting to you
Create space visually around your writing tool (prevent visual claustrophobia)
Think 180° not straight ahead
An aesthetically pleasing essential oil diffuser, maybe one that lights up
Flowers
Candles
Colorful or visually dynamic blankets, fabrics, pillows, etc.
Youtube ambiance with a pleasant visual (Tip: play to the side, not straight ahead)
A neutral show/movie - not your favorite (Tip: play to the side, not straight ahead)
Ready to get started? If you’ve never thought about this before, and have never done this before, a great way to start is choosing 1 thing from every category to remove or be more aware of, and 1 thing from every category to include. If that sounds overwhelming, even just taking 5 minutes in the middle of your writing to think about each sense, and how it’s being focused or distracted. Build up from there, and pretty soon you’ll have an idea of a few things to set up or remove each time to improve your focus.
If you try this out, or do this already, and have any other ideas/suggestions, please let me know by continuing the conversation in the comments below!
