Writing Advice - Distract Yourself

I have a great many things that distract me away from writing, but ironically it is also those things that fuel my imagination. Netflix, Tumblr, Hulu, Youtube, Pinterest...I can get lost on any of these sites for HOURS. I'll think it's only been 20 minutes, 30 tops, and I look at the clock and gasp in horror as I realize 2 or 3 hours have gone by. I used to beat myself up over the amount of time I spent distracted on my computer instead of spending those hours working on my next book, but I don't do that anymore. Over the years I've learned a very valuable truth about myself - I need to be distracted. It actually HELPS my writing process. About a year ago I tried taking my laptop and going to places with no wifi and attempting to write there. It was awful. I would sit and stare at the screen or glance around at my surroundings, completely uninspired. Now, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, when I'm feeling in the mood, nature or remote locations can fuel my creative juices, but not when forced. So I gave up the idea that I needed to focus 100% of my time on the computer writing and let myself get distracted. I would spend an hour on Tumblr scrolling through blogs, some with content or advice that had me biting at the bit to get back to writing. I would marathon a show on Netflix and then find my imagination completely re-inspired. My point is, don't beat yourself up for doing something that's unrelated to writing. Sometimes it turns out to be an invaluable writing tool. Sometimes it turns out to be nothing but a distraction...but also a lot of times a much needed one.