A survey of 1000 US writers has found that the Internet is the biggest distraction preventing them from writing.
The survey undertaken by Stop Procrastinating, the website blocker and productivity tool, found that 42% of writers claimed to have turned to browsing the internet for inspiration only to be lose hours reading articles or watching YouTube videos.
The survey found that digital distractions such as emails, social media and the Internet were also most likely to prevent them from writing.
Most interesting is what they were viewing. Most writers didn’t turn to the great works for inspiration, but were more likely to watch YouTube videos of comedy acts or cats and other animals doing funny things. 45% of those who said they were distracted by the internet from writing said they had watched a funny animal video at least once to help get them through a creative block.
32% of respondents claimed the level at which the internet distracted them from writing was significant and worrying.
Of all respondents 42% said they had tried to concentrate on writing for more than a week only to be distracted at some point by the internet.
45% said they had lost their chain of thought because they checked and responded to an email or social media alert while they were trying to write.
Some 33% said visiting distracting websites or social media cost them at least an hour a day in lost productivity or writing time.
Tim Rollins, Stop Procrastinating director, said: "We have made Stop Procrastinating free today in order help writers beat their Internet distractions and get more writing done. The Internet, social media, emails are pervasive and eating into our quality time. We need urgently to put ourselves back in control.
"Writers have always had distractions, but they have never had to deal with a technology that is everywhere at once and influences every part of our lives. It is unprecedented the level of intrusion and distraction that today's writers have to cope with," he said.
About Stop Procrastinating:
Stop Procrastinating is an Internet blocking and productivity application. It is compatible with Mac OS and Windows. It allows users the option to block the Internet for a period of time in three ways, depending on how much self-discipline they have.
Option 1 allows users to block the Internet for a set amount of time, but they can get back online if they reboot their computer.
Option 2 allows users to block the Internet for a set amount of time, but prevents access to the internet even if they restart their computer. They have to wait until their chosen time is up to reconnect.
Option 3 allows users to input into a black list specific websites they wish to block, such as Facebook or Twitter, and to stay connected to the Internet.
Stop Procrastinating also gives users the option to write down their works goals before disconnecting from the Internet. Research has shown this to be a powerful aid to motivation. It also allows users to chart their progress over time, which helps users see how much more work they are getting done.
