How to find your inner writing motivation

The world is so noisy these days. Have you noticed? Even in the country, so it seems. You can’t get away from the traffic or the hubbub of the city. Well, that probably depends on where in the country where you live.

We, unfortunately, live closer to a small city. Well, it’s a town really, it’s so small. So, the traffic here is almost constant. Not only that, but even with electronics and earplugs, it’s still noisy. It seems to never stop. It also makes me wish my ears would hurry and decide to go deaf.

One of my growing pet peeves is when my husband or in-laws turn on the TV. It is so loud you could wake up the dead is quite an understatement. I cannot tell you how much I’ve grown to crave silence. It’s gotten worse over the years. I have noticed that the louder the noise, the fiercer the craving.

Whenever my in-laws watch a TV show or movie. I go into my favorite spots depending on the volume. Sometimes I can tolerate it but usually if only for 30 minutes. To combat this, I have come up with some ideas.

The first is music. Either through headphones or speakers via a radio. Sometimes I have it going on in my head even. Frankly, I think I’m the only one who enjoys it. When I listen to it on my phone, that is. I have two apps that I absolutely love. Pandora Radio and iHeartRadio.

And yes, I have my station, a mix of country-pop, hip-hop, and Disney songs. I have a couple dedicated to only classical music. Soundtrack and wordless stations as well. 

Why classical or wordless still soundtracks? You ask. They have scientifically proven that specific type of music helps you focus. And when you focus hard, you tune out the world around you. Not only that, but it seems to make time fly—at least some aspects of it. 

For some people, though, it just doesn’t work. And that’s okay; there are more options out there for you.

The next one you might consider is what’s called meditative focus. Here is a better translation for the confused. Basically, it’s learning what and how to ignore the little noises in life.

Think of it as an exercise if you will—a valuable one with any type of job you do, really. Let me explain if you’ve ever worked in retail or as a server type. You know full well how chaotic it can be from paying attention to orders to each customer’s complaint. There’s also talking on phones or being in a busy kitchen. 

It’s hard to focus on your task or your project. It can drive anybody insane. Which is why I applaud and admire those in that line of work. Both lines of work it, really. 

Anyway, achieving a state of meditative focus is easy. Once you find out about it. It’s mostly a Hands-On approach. All you need to do is learn the breathing techniques you’re taught in meditation. And use them during each task you do. This meditation also takes discipline and a certain amount of willpower. Both of which are not as easy to implement as you think. All of us, even me, have struggled with it. The one thing I have learned is to change my perspective mentally, at least. 

The ability to focus like this is a gift. In the long run, this will help you make the most of your day and time. Not only that, but it will help you be a better employee. Also, it will help you be inspired to write if you are a writer. Whether in a journal, blog or that book, you’ve been procrastinating. Unfortunately, these options don’t work all the time. Well, at first. 

 Sometimes life throws us curveballs, and we lose our focus, which is one reason I resort to noise-canceling headphones. Believe it or not, you can still hear out of those. But it muffles most of the surrounding noises. It allows you to train your mind to focus. For example, I volunteer at a barn. There I am often bombarded with noises. From horses whinnying and neighing around. To people talking about random topics. It’s almost nonstop. It also makes for a perfect way to practice meditative focus. 

Since I’m still struggling with this, I have found it more comfortable to wear earplugs. Depending on the tasks I do. I either wear one ear plug or two. People ignore me unless they need something, anyway. So most of the time, I get away with wearing both of them. Honestly, on some days, that is the best thing in the world. 

Although I haven’t tried them yet, I would be excited to use noise-canceling headphones. But I imagine there isn’t that much of a difference. They both do the same thing, but in different ways.

In conclusion, there are many ways to tune out the world. Not only these that I have mentioned. But such a wide variety that it just can’t be covered in one article. The only reason I pick these three is simple. They are the easiest to implement. And they are the ones that have helped me in the past.

I know there is one I struggle with. But what is life without a few struggles? how else would we learn and grow? I hope this helps you when you struggle or feel overwhelmed in life. Because honestly, they are all excellent tools to have in your belt.

Oh, and before I go. Don’t let others tell you otherwise. But ignoring the world around you is the best thing ever. At least some aspects help you survive in this crazy world.