If you write for a living (or just write for yourself), you know one thing to be very, very, true. It’s easy to become distracted. It’s especially easy to become distracted if you have various programs like Skype and Slack running. People want your attention all the time - and you probably give it to them because, well, the Internet is addicting.

The problem with becoming distracted is that it takes away from your writing. Not just from meeting deadlines either but from the quality of your writing and the thought process behind writing something meaningful.

Just think about it, how many times have you been in the middle of writing something when you stopped, answered a text or a Skype, checked LinkedIn or Facebook, and then found yourself sucked into an Internet hole for more than a few minutes. Often, right?

The point behind the new Freewrite Smart Typewriter is just that - to stop you from becoming distracted.

Reviews so far

The Freewrite typewriter has gotten a bit of negative press for being boring. Some have even added the word ‘hipster’ to a sentence about the Freewrite Smart Typewriter. But that’s kind of the point, right? It’s essentially a typewriter that does not connect to the Internet - purposely. You can’t become distracted when you use the Freewrite. You can’t Skype, you can’t chat, you just can’t.

This little typewriter has a blank grey screen (yes, it’s digital so, no, you don’t have to go with paper and ink and all of that). This typewriter takes away all of the distractions. You can’t just open up Google when you get bored or need ideas, you have to actually think. There are no distractions and that’s kind of the point. When you don’t have distractions, you think. When you think, you create and that’s kind of the point of writing - right?

A Steep Price

The only issue I have with the Freewrite typewriter is that it’s expensive. At nearly $400 for the device, it’s hard to figure out why you wouldn’t just turn off your Skype and other programs (or just use an app that blocks other programs from bothering you during writing time). Of course, you could always just buy an old school typewriter, but, then again, that might mean lugging around something that’s really heavy and cumbersome.

The Freewrite has its advantages - those are easy to see well enough. On the flip side, not many people actually want to avoid all of those distractions. Most people just want to avoid distractions for a few minutes. After that time has passed, it’s hard for many people to not pick up a phone or tablet or other device. So even if your word processor isn’t connected and bothersome, I’m betting you won’t go more than ten minutes without picking up another device to check the Internet.

It’s funny how in an age where we are less bored than ever before, we always find ways to avoid being connected. You could buy the Freewrite. Or, you could just turn off all of those pesky programs and focus on writing for an hour at a time - you can do it.