May 2022. This is a post from the beginning of the pandemic. It’s been sitting in my draft folder for more than two years now. I am publishing it without revising, so please excuse its first-draft form.
When I had my full-time job, I sat down at my desk at eight a.m., had a half hour lunch around noon, and then closed everything down at 4:30. There was a half hour commute each way, I ate dinner, and most nights sat back down at my desk at home at 6:30 and worked on my W-9 work for two hours.
Right now I have no commute, I sit down at eight am, have been gardening for 30 minutes at 10:00, sit down for an hour lunch at noon or 12:30, and work until five pm. That’s not even eight hours!
So why am I so tired?
I’ve given this a good twenty minutes worth of thought and here’s what I’ve come up with. I’m totally focused for the hours I work at home, in a way that I wasn’t at work.
At work there were people to talk to, mindless meeting to attend, errands to run. Plus, most of my work was stuff I didn’t have to think much about for long periods of time. Writing the weekly checks? Took focus, but not much brain power. Number checking an annotated document? Took focus, but not brain power. Copyediting did take brain power, but that was a smaller segment of my week.
Right now I’m creating all sorts of new neural pathways around everything. Even 3SMReviews, where I have a good routine down for making posts, I am also spending my time writing content for fun lists, and learning how to up my newsletter game which takes reading, taking notes, and thinking.
There’s not really anyone to chat with at home though Matt and I do exchange words throughout the day.
I’m immersed in this new world I am creating and that, I think, is taking a lot out of me.
What to do?
I think first of all, I will rotate around what starts the day. I’ve been shortchanging the writing part of my day (the writing part that is not writing movie reviews, or writing a new copyediting service I’m providing) and I think whatever ended the day the previous day will start the day the next day.
Today I ran out of steam before I could work on the current novel. That means tomorrow my 8 am task will be that.
I also might start going for a bike ride around 3pm. That’s always been a low energy point to my day and I’d like to get out and get some sun on my face. I also miss biking. Though not the same commute up and down Interstate.
So a rotation of job duties, gardening at 10, an hour lunch and a 3pm bike outing.
Might that help?
We shall see.