Is deep work possible with a post menopausal brain?

I may be more than a little scattered

A while back I “attended” an online writers conference which had a workshop about deep work. I used the quotation marks for attended because it’s hard for me to wrap my head around attending something at my dining room table. I’m not a big fan of online conferences and workshops but this is the world we now live in.

A Lady Sitting At Her Desk, Paul Joanowitch 1911

That’s a personal thing, the conference was excellent.

The workshop was given by novelist Rhonda Ortiz, whose work I was not familiar with but I checked her website and found she wrote historical fiction so I added it to my Goodreads list since I am a fan of the genre. I’ll report back at some point my thoughts on that or you can check for a review there by adding me as a friend if you are a member. The workshop was designed based upon the book Deep Work, Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport. This appealed to me because I find myself less and less able to focus on a writing or reading task for the lengths of time that I used to be able to even a few years ago. Even when I was constantly being interrupted by crying babies and toddlers or having to go drive someone somewhere every hour or so, I was able to jump back into the task pretty easily and pick up where I had left off. Now not only is it harder to focus, it is harder to jump in once I have found myself pulled away. And being pulled away is is easier. The kids more or less leave me alone. Four of them are pretty much gone and the three who are here would much rather not be noticed because if they are they know I’m going to ask them to do something or I’m going to demand an accounting of what they have been doing. Half the time they sneak around here like they are trying to tunnel out of Alcatraz, unless they need a ride or want money.

No the distractions are generally something as earth shattering as a bird flying by the window or the thought that I could throw a load of laundry in right now, which leads to the thought that the ironing board should be put away, which leads to the thought that the bathroom should be straightened which leads to the thought that we need more TP which leads me to the car, which leads me to forget all about what I sat down to write about and then I’m sunk.

Woman Reading, Henri Matisse 1894

So the deep work workshop appealed and it was good. Full of good advice, which I have yet to take. I did take the book out of the library and I’ve started to read it, and it’s good, so far. One of the problems is that I started it in the waiting room of the dentist office while one of the kids was being treated and, of course, they had a huge TV in a small room tuned to HGTV and it was impossible to concentrate with these renovations going on in your ear. Why is there a TV everywhere you go? Every restaurant, waiting area, just everywhere. It’s not helping me. So I had to begin again because I couldn’t really focus on the book about focus in the waiting room which is the kind of thing that is always happening to me.

Part of my problem is that I spent many years being constantly distracted by the demands of mothering a large family. I loved doing it. I miss a lot of that kind of work, tending my babies (I don’t miss not sleeping), but I think it does set you up for a kind of easy distractibility.

The other thing is, of course, the stupid phone. I have a love/hate thing with my iPhone. I love being able to text my people and keep in touch easily. I hate the distractions. I love my Instagram feed which I have carefully curated to mostly feature beautiful cottages in Ireland, Catholic cathedrals, dear friends and family, a lot of food and snarky memes. It’s very entertaining but extremely distracting. No help at all in getting anything done.

The last thing and perhaps the most devasting because I can’t seem to do anything about it, is menopause. As if weight gain, insomnia, mood swings, hot flashes and forgetfulness were not enough, there is this general distractedness, this “huh?” kind of feeling you get sometimes when you should be doing something that requires concentration but instead find yourself wondering if you should paint the hallway green or if the mail came yet. You know, questions for the ages.

Does this happen to anyone else? Does it get better? I’m past the other symptoms, mostly the sleeping part could be better but it’s better than it was so I’m grateful for that. I’ll finish the book and take the advice and hopefully the output will increase and I will become less easily distracted. Any advice is appreciated. :)