A clear writing mindset: Quitting sugar and Google

A clear writing mindset: Quitting sugar and Google
by Alex
Late last month, I felt like I was in a rut, trying to finish a short story for a collection. I'm still not done, but I feel like the end is in sight after a period in which it couldn't have seemed further off. A few changes helped me get back in the right mindset.

The Internet is often portrayed as an enormous distraction for writers. Writers like Jonathan Franzen have even made a big deal about disabling their networks in order to get some work done. I can understand the impulse. But I don't think such severe blanket action is needed.

Instead, I believe that many writers (and everyone else, too) would be amazed at what life is like if you just give up on Google's services. No Gmail, no YouTube, and no Search. Giving them up wasn't too bad for me since I'm not a big YouTube watcher and find Search too filtered and customized, so I understand how this technique may not be that extensible.

Still, avoiding Google's endless abyss of answers is liberating. If I wanted to know something, I would consult a book or use DuckDuckGo if I had to - both of which require much more effort. Not having it there to lean on was amazing - I could just write or think instead of trying to sate my curiosity about an inconsequential question.

Around the same time that I went off Google, I went off sugar. Not completely, but pretty close. I don't even put sweetener of any kind in my coffee now. After I felt terrible for days (sugar really is a drug, and withdrawal is palpable), I eventually felt much calmer and happier. It felt good to just write and not feel the background urge to eat something really sweet, which would take away time and then set me up for a crash after the high wore off.

Being a writer doesn't entail being puritanical like this (quite the opposite, in fact). I might relapse eventually - low-stakes, since we're talking about Google and sugar, not something more serious - but it's refreshing to know that it's not that hard to upend your entire experience of the world with a few simple actions