Still, since I am always busy nowadays with one project or another, that jarring ring can be the most distracting thing I have to deal with on a daily basis. Of course, when I initiate one of these interview calls, there is no distraction. This was difficult at first, and many was the time I found myself fumbling around through a stack of interview pages in a nervous attempt to find the one that matched the caller. Consider that you are in the middle of developing a complex opening to an important article, switching words around, trying your best to write something that will reach out from the published page, grab your readers by the eyeballs, and chain them to the rest of your words. And the phone rings.
Distractions are a fact of life for the working writer.
Unlike Thoreau, most of us do not have the luxury of retiring to Walden Pond to relax and revel in the beauty of nature while we construct prose for the ages. Yet, still, we must somehow keep our minds on our work. Doing several things at one time can be difficult, but it is a talent one must learn if one is to become a successful non-fiction magazine writer. Still, a little time management can be helpful. Once I have dispensed with all the regular daily chores, I dive into the writing of query letters, general correspondence, and perhaps reading over and spell checking what I have written earlier.