Here’s a list of this week’s distractions:
Game of Thrones (I’m actually a Stark of Winterfell. shhh! Jon Snow is communicating with me through the TV )
Letting Agents (evil, but necessary )
Facebook updates
Surfing Amazon (not surfing THE Amazon. Although that would be awesome)
Reading Haunting Violet on my Kindle (creepy, Victoriana, paranormal YA….who can resist that?)
Chocolate
Blog Stats
House Viewings
Mass Effect 3 (If I don’t fight the Reapers, Earth will be destroyed. They’re all counting on me!)
Twitter
New Website Design
Sunshine (a rare thing in Scotland)
Chocolate
Work Interviews
Grey’s Anatomy (Come on! I need some McSteamy in my life)
Reading other Blogs
E-mails
The Beach
Dave
Moving of the Sister-In-Law (you can’t say no to family, right?)
Swimming
Skyrim
Promotion at Work
Chocolate
Dance Central on the Xbox (gotta keep fit, right?)
American Horror (rubber man=creepy!!! Love it!)
Birthdays
Paperwork for Estate Agents
Facebook Groups
Bubble Bath
Chocolate
Packing to Move (Yes! A space of my own coming soon! Good bye in-laws, hello privacy.)
Chocolate (yes, I know it’s on the list more than once)
This week has been full of ‘Oh, Shiny!’ moments. Some have been distractions I couldn’t ignore, business that had to be taken care of no matter what. Others have been siren songs calling to me, enticing me to deviate from my path, from my goal. I’ve spent the week battling to stay on track. I confess that I’m the first to deviate from a clear path. Boring! I’ve always on the hunt for a new adventure off the beaten path, a dark cave, a sunlit forest. Staying on track is difficult. I am easily swayed by the ‘Oh, Shiny!” But knowing this about myself is half the battle. Every day I ready myself for combat. I set small daily goals and reward myself for meeting them. Finish this blog post? I get to read for an hour. Bribing myself with the promise of adventure AFTER the work is done, helps me stay focused.
Do you suffer from ‘Oh, Shiny!’ syndrome? How do you cope? Do you reward yourself for meeting goals?
Courtney Koschel has been writing since she could hold a crayon. She has worked as a journalist, editor, technical writer, and technical editor. Young adult fiction is near and dear to her heart, which is why she writes YA and all of its glorious sub-genres.
Tonia Marie Houston is a mother, writer, poet, bookworm, and blogger. When sheís not chasing her three spider monkeys, she spends her time revising a young adult novel about life after death and second chances. Though she began to pursue her career later in life, she hopes to inspire and motivate other writers to put their best book forward.
This native Texan now lives with her Scottish hubby in North Ayrshire, Scotland, where she wanders the moors in search of William Wallace. She has been a guest blogger on Writer Unboxed and is currently working on the sequel to her YA supernatural novel, Touched by Darkness.
Jamie Raintree writes what she likes to call everyday fairytale love stories, featuring the little moments in life that are truly magical. She lives in Arizona with her husband and daughter and is currently editing her second novel.
Jani Grey is a South African ambivert, writer, reader, optimist, and bacon enthusiast. When her boss isnít looking she writes, revises, or edits YA Urban Fantasies in between work. Sheís sneaky like that. Sheís a NaNoWriMo addict and is currently working on two NaNo novels.
Rebecca Fields is a modern gypsy, roaming from place to place in search of ñ well, sheíll let you know when she finds it. Writing has become a way for her to share her adventures, both real and imagined. Along with her on her journey are her son and an assortment of rescued animals.
vaughnroycroft
May 2, 2012 at 9:36 am
I swear, I had just told myself ‘That’s enough reading/commenting on blogs for today,’ I’d shut down fb, and opened a doc to start working. Not 20 minutes in, the little blue Outlook box flashed on the screen, showing me the email notification from H&C. “Oh, Shiny,” I said, and clicked before it faded.
Sidenote: someone must be communicating with me through the TV, too, as I’m glued to G of T, and even watch most episodes twice. I’m inclined to think it’s Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen,
Okay, back to work again. This time I’m shutting down Outlook, too. Fun stuff, Heather!
Heather Reid
May 2, 2012 at 11:54 am
Yay! I’m glad I’m not alone. I watch each episode at least twice too! I’m such a nerd.
Jon Snow was one of my many fictional boyfriends even before Kit Harington was cast in the series. I love him even more now. Don’t worry, Dave knows all about my fictional crushes. I’m sure he has his own crush on Daenerys. Can’t say I blame either of you. The Mother of Dragons is beautiful. Did you manage to shut down the “Oh Shiny!” and get some work done?
bwtaylor75
May 2, 2012 at 9:47 am
You like the shiny? (Dragon Age 2…anyone?)
We all suffer from battles with the shiny. That’s one of the perks of this new digital age. Like you said, you have to know yourself. Chocolate. Oops, I thought every fifth sentence had to be chocolate.
You know when you should be working. Chocolate afterward. 
Heather Reid
May 2, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Did you say Dragon Age 2? Yes please!!!! I’ve only played through it 3 times now. This time around I think I”ll kill Anders and romance Sebastian. I’m a sucker for his Scottish accent.
*sigh* I started playing the new Bioware Star Wars MMO in December, but canceled my subscription a month later. It was a MAJOR ‘shiny’ that sported a flashy gold speedo, sang the star spangaled banner off key, and shot fireworks from it’s head. Very hard to ignore and a HUGE time suck. Awesome game though!
Juliana Haygert
May 2, 2012 at 10:20 am
Love that you have many “chocolate” spread through your list
And yes, I suffer from Oh Shiny Syndrome … my hubby threatens to shut down the internet connection during the day so I’ll focus on writing and only writing lol
But then he would have to cut the cable so I don’t watch Vampire Diaries, Nikita, Legend of Korra, and hide the PS3 so I don’t play God of War or Assassins Creed
Heather Reid
May 2, 2012 at 12:05 pm
What is life without chocolate???? I’m so glad I’m not alone in my chocolate obssesion.
I know what you mean about shutting down the internet connection. I even sneak cheking my e-mail on my phone while we’re watching a movie. Bad Heather!
I want to watch Vampire Diaries! It looks great. I love Assasin’s Creed too! Glad to meet another girl who likes gaming.
Tonia Marie Houston
May 2, 2012 at 11:02 am
I like chocolate-even better if it comes in a shiny wrapper.
I’m not a gamer, does that make me lame?
These last few weeks, my two-year-old has been my biggest distraction. I think he’ll be a writer, or maybe a circus monkey one day. He’s often distracted by shiny stuff, especially the kind that plugs into sockets.
I love to procrastinate, so FB is my frenemy. (I’ll never use that word again, promise.)
I don’t game, but I love bad horror movies and….okay, anime. Ssh, don’t tell anyone. I’m supposed to be a grown-up mommy writer.
Fun post.
bwtaylor75
May 2, 2012 at 11:18 am
Ooh, ooh, I like horror movies too! No, you aren’t lame, but you are in a giant video game right now and didn’t even know it, sort of like the Matrix! The only way out is to finish your book!
Heather Reid
May 2, 2012 at 12:08 pm
Oh yes! Shiny wrapper!
I don’t know many other girls who like gaming as much as I do.
Not being a gamer dosen’t make you lame, it means you have one less distraction in your life.
I’m TOTALLY with you on the bad horror movies! Dave doesn’t like them so much, but I do try to sneak them when he’s on lates. I love having netflix through the xbox!
Jani
May 2, 2012 at 1:45 pm
This reads like my procrastination list, with a few exchanges of course. My favs on your list: Game of Thrones (JOHN SNOW!!!), Reading, Twitter, Chocolate, AMERICAN HORROR STORY.
I’ve found the est way to deal with my shiny moments is to turn them into rewards. My personal reward system. Rewrite a chapter, reward, edit a few pages, reward. It seems to work fairly well
Great post, Heather!
Heather Reid
May 4, 2012 at 10:00 am
I’m glad I’m not the only one who rewards myself for writing.
Awesome!
Rebecca
May 3, 2012 at 9:58 am
A few months ago I cut myself down to one “must watch” show a week and it’s Once Upon A Time. For one hour every week no one is allowed to talk to me. I’m not a gamer and have been weaning myself off Facebook, but then there’s always Pinterest…
You’d think I’d get a lot more writing done. But, on the other side, I’m trying to exercise more and get away from the computer. Mmmhmmm… we’ll see how this goes.
Heather Reid
May 4, 2012 at 10:01 am
Rebecca, Once Upon A TIme is on my ‘want to watch’ list. I’m waiting until GOT is over and then delving in. I hear it’s addictive.
I haven’t tried Pinterest yet.
Jamie Raintree
May 5, 2012 at 1:58 am
Ugh. I’m in the middle of moving too and it is a HUGE distraction. It’s like a full time job. I hope I get my writing back soon…and a nice new window to put my desk under.
Heather Reid
May 5, 2012 at 3:32 am
New baby and a move! Wow! You’ve got a lot on your plate. I hope we both get our writing back soon. Here’s to new window’s to put our desks under.
Courtney Koschel
May 9, 2012 at 6:07 am
Oh my goodness, this made me giggle. Thanks for that. “Oh shiny” syndrome is definitely part of my life. Life has been insane lately, but I know it has been for everyone. I just got back from the writer’s retreat I’ve been planning sinc November. I hope my life will be less one shiny thing now. I had oh so much fun, but it’s been three days, and I can still hardly open my eyes from exhaustion.
The Internet is definitely one of my oh shiny weaknesses. I love being engaged in online conversation, and I think it’s necessary, but too often I’ll use it as a crutch to keep from doing something else. But I have a super important project to edit next week, and I can’t wait to get started
Thanks for the awesome post!