Artmaking Personal Preferences

When I start working on something it is unlikely that I know where it is going.  I generally have a vague idea where the work is headed, but I don't always get there.  That is why I no longer plan what I am doing, but rather I just start at some random place in the painting and work out from there.  I have a very messy workspace that tends to spark my creativity in the strangest of ways.  I don't mind a messy workspace because I tend to be more efficient with it the way it is rather that keeping it spotless.  When it comes to the task itself I am definitely a multi-tasker.  I have difficulty focusing on painting when there is no "white noise" to drown out my thoughts.  You would think that thoughts are good, but they are a distraction for sure.  If I am thinking about a book I might stop to read it.  If I am thinking about a photo I am working on I will stop and attend to that.  Of course that is only when I am stuck at a point in a painting and I am having difficulty working through it.  I perpetually have the television or radio on in the background and I always have something beside me to drink, most often coffee or tea.  The time of day I work depends on my mood, but only time I am still working in the morning is when I have not stopped working from the night before.  I live by myself so there is no one to walk in and bother me.  I do enjoy distractions even though I do work late at night.  I like to check my email or facebook for messages from my sisters and maybe stop for a snack.  I attempted working for 30 minutes straight without anything else on.  Only the lights illuminating the canvas, oil paint and odorless mineral spirits beside me, and not a thing to listen to.  I did enjoy it for the limited amount of time I spent, but I don't think I could work for 5 hours straight without anything to listen to.  And when I do work, it is for 5 to 10 hours straight so I don't think the uni-tasking will work for me one bit.  Next time I try uni-tasking it will be for an entire hour to see if I am more efficient at completing an artwork.  I am sure I will have more of an insight when it comes to uni-tasking after spending an hour with a painting.