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These words really rang true for me, though the emotions that trigger my distractions aren't typically loneliness or boredom. Instead, I find myself tempted to avoid writing when I feel self-doubt. I think it's another case of the internal critic whispering in my ear that I'm not a good-enough writer or my idea isn't marketable enough.
In the article "You’re Probably Supposed to be Doing Something Else Right Now," Aswin John talks about some of the emotions that keep him from writing, saying: "We distract ourselves because we want to avoid pain.... that pain could be anxiety. It could be restlessness. It could be feelings of incompetency." He goes on to discuss several strategies from Indistractable that he uses to fight his writing distractions, including keeping a log Nir Eyal calls a Distraction Tracker--you can see a sample of the form in the article (linked to above).
According to Eyal, "there are only three reasons why we get distracted. Either we got taken off track because of an external trigger, an internal trigger, or a planning problem." The Distraction Tracker includes space to identify the reason(s) behind each distraction.
I've started using the log myself, and I'm finding it quite helpful. Another strategy Eyal recommends is "time-boxing," something I've been doing for years, though I'd never heard of this term before. I set aside specific time for writing, usually first thing in the morning. During that time, I don't check email or social media, or even answer the telephone. Eyal recommends also using time-boxing to plan recreation and down time. I haven't been doing that, but it sounds intriguing.
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