Finding the right words to commit to a document is hard enough, much less finding something to write about in the first place. There are distractions galore once the time has come to face the blank page or screen. Focus is essential. Finding focus in any endeavor is critical to meeting the challenge. The lessons of writing pertain to most everything in life.

I have always loved working with a blank sheet of paper and facing it with typewriter or fountain pen. I have fallen away from that approach for myriad reasons and that failure was partially caused by, and cause, distractions. (Oh, how I miss my Selectric typewriter!) By learning Word ™ in 1987 at my first university job, I brought into my writing life a gazillion distractions. It is not far-fetched to consider that distractions become “addictions”, and we all know that the first step in facing an addiction is to admit that you have one; likewise, by acknowledging you are susceptible to distraction you have the chance to find focus. Just select it.

Word ™ has an interesting function. Hiding in plain view at the bottom of the screen is an icon with the word “Focus.” Select it and the computer screen changes to a digital version of the simple sheet of paper rolled up on the typewriter. No fonts or formatting to call for attention, no functions or features to distract from the task of putting letters down that make words to form sentences to…focus allows the small steps that lead to the creation of big things. Such is life.

Truth be told, I discovered the focus function while staring at the blank screen for this column. I was distracted (a state I have always too easily fallen into) by the search for ideas, made worse by the plethora of functions, features and formatting options calling me from the top of the document. Lesson one: ignore distractions and focus on the small steps that get you going.

It occurs to me that in most situations, there is a “focus” option to select if we are willing to make the choice. Whatever is taking away your time, attention and application of your skills from the task at hand, “select focus” and make them go away, literally or figuratively. Many of the focus-stealers are technology based.

Once you find focus, persist. That is a lesson from writing for another day, but as the great wisdom for writers states, “Stay in your chair and write,” or something akin to that.