You sit down to write a proposal. Two sentences in, you want to check a client’s website. While you’re there, a notification pops up. Then you look up a word, then a competitor’s pricing, then an email you remembered. An hour later the proposal has three paragraphs and you’ve read half the internet.

The internet isn’t the enemy. You need it for research, for email and for most of your work. But during the first draft, when you’re turning ideas into words or plans, it makes it far too easy to drift, and every drift costs you the thread you were following.

The practice: For first drafts of anything, like proposals, plans, articles, designs or quotes, turn off the internet, write the rough version, and only go back online once the draft is done.

Why it works

First drafts need momentum. The goal is to get something complete down, even if it’s rough, so you have something to improve. Every trip online breaks that momentum, and getting it back takes time.

Without the internet, the option to drift simply isn’t there. You’re not resisting temptation over and over. You’ve removed it in advance, which is much easier.

It also separates writing from checking. Most of what sends you online mid-draft, a fact to confirm or a link to find, can wait. Marking those spots and checking them all at once afterward is faster than stopping each time.

How to run it

1. Before you start, gather anything you truly need: notes, client details, the brief. Open them or print them.
2. Turn off Wi-Fi on your computer and put your phone in another room or on airplane mode.
3. Set a timer for 45 to 60 minutes and write the whole first draft, start to finish.
4. When you hit something you need to look up, type a marker like [CHECK] and keep going.
5. Once the draft is done, go back online and search your draft for every [CHECK] to fill in.

The mistake most people make

Treating it as a polishing session. The point is a rough, complete draft, not a perfect one. If you stop to perfect each paragraph, you’ll run out of time before you reach the end. Get it all down, then improve it.

The other mistake is “just quickly” reconnecting to look one thing up. That one quick search is how the drifting starts. Mark it and keep writing.

Do this before Monday

Pick one piece of work you need to start next week, like a proposal, a plan or a piece of content. Gather what you need for it now. On Monday, turn off the internet, set a timer for 45 minutes and write the full rough draft before you go online.

Focus Friday is AFEUSA’s weekly series on attention, deep work and protecting your time as a business owner. For more practical guidance for entrepreneurs, visit afeusa.org.