Distraction-free writing apps

May 14, 2024

The distraction comes not from the app but rather our ability to manage our attention. What you are paying for is the convenience and theming, you still type on a keyboard to compose your text. I don’t need much more than plain text since I write in Markdown.

iA Writer is one such app that bills itself as a distraction-free text editor. You can also make emacs look like iA Writer, but most of the time you want something that “just works”. I don’t use iA Writer and I don’t look down on those who do rather I come to the realization the distractions we face come from within and not so much from the software we use. Sometimes I feel my left arm locking up. As if it is tense. In my upper arm I sometimes have spasms for no reason. The cause remains elusive, but I don’t spending long periods sitting at the computer as helping the situation.

The solution is not changing the app I use. Instead I think about how I can break each task into smaller pieces. This doesn’t work for everything. You need long uninterrupted stretches of time when you can get them. Sometimes being more productive means you need to take a break. It doesn’t seem intuitive in the world of productivity advice, but sitting somewhere and attempting to do nothing and live in the moment can end with the right idea appearing all of a sudden.

Besides there is too much noise and static going on in our world. Despite coming out of the pandemic where many people had nothing to do, the other option is to sit and watch YouTube or scroll through something on the phone. except this is it’s own sort of nothing. One that creates an illusion. Much like reading the news. Without the anxiety of the blank screen or page you can let a stray thought develop into something that does make sense. And I write it down.