Reality Show Continues
Today I am headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller Center, and general walking around Manhattan. We are eating bagels. Salted bagels. Oldest Daughter wants to haggle with the guys on the street who sell the illegal knock-offs of Gucci and Chanel. Ahhh, New York City.
I usually stop by St. Patrick's Cathedral. I'm no longer a Catholic, but . . . you know, a few candles lit in a cathedral to my deceased grandparents is good for the soul. Then I can go sit on the steps of the NYC Public Library by the big lions and sip some Starbucks.
Actually, I'm keeping an insane schedule. Tomorrow I drive almost to Canada. I am sleeping on a couch. Demon Baby is still waking at 5:00 a.m. But guess what? I didn't bring work
I actually am . . . GASP . . . taking a vacation. Scary.
But here's the thing . . . I am still THINKING about my works in progress. But instead of the sort of weary/I have too many deadlines attitude of a couple of days ago, I am energized. Excited about my manuscripts. LOOKING FORWARD to getting back to them this weekend.
Yes, I am thinking about them, but this forced break of bagels and the streets of Manhattan is doing me some good. There is something to be said for giving yourself a forced break from work.
Anyone else? Courting burnout? Taking a break? How do you know when it's time to recharge and what do you do to get energized again?
16 comments:
Breaks are good! I've actually been on a roll lately. Something is crawling around under my skin and it's giving me the writing itch.
I hope you enjoy your time off.
Have a good one!
ERica! You are not that far from me! I am sitting here at my parents place in the upper west side at 70th street. Was thinking of going down to the Met but am too lazy so am resigning myself to going to the pier instead. But will be doing a bagel run in a little while! Enjoy your vacation even if you can't stop your brain from thinking about it!
I used to get burned out more often, but then I learned to use that little two letter word - NO! Sometimes I just have to set boundaries and stick with them.
Definitely courting burnout. We have a couple days planned at a huge indoor water park in about two weeks and I'm going to be incommunicado from even e-mail for at least a couple days.
Now, I just have to finish this damned report...
I work every day, unfortunately. If it's not teaching, it's writing, and usually it's both. However, compared to teaching, a full day of writing pretty much feels like a day off, usually. And I probably take maybe 4 or 5 or so days off a year.
Usually it's forced, pretty frightening, and comes loaded with massive guilt. To relax, I need to go camping where there's no electricity. I love that, but we haven't gone in a couple years.
But my burnout savior is movies. I love movies; they're a major escape for me. Plus you can do them after nine at night, so they're guilt free!
Have fun at the museums!
And if you go to a restaurant with Ello, guard your food. ;-)
Like Spyscribbler, I'm a great movie fan and love the whole experience of going to the movie theatre. It inspires my writing while giving me a break.
I have a holiday to Italy and Egypt in three weeks and though I'm really looking forward to it, I am just about to finish my current ms and would love to send it out to agents but there's no point when I'm not going to be here. Twice now I have had requests for fulls while on holiday and have been unable to send them for weeks - frustrating. So this time I will wait until I get back. That also allows me a little distance from the ms so I can give an extra edit when I return - probably not a bad thing. Holidays can energize but can also be frustrating if you're on a roll with a ms.
Hey Erica --
Ah, New Yawk... :) Have a fantastic week!
As for me, it's Burnout City over here. A house full of sick kids, sick myself...ugh. My body is demanding that I take time off to recharge and let spring in. Time to unplug from the Internet, read books I adore, and rest.
You go, Erica! NYC gives me more energy than any other place I've been. Have a great time.
MicheleL
Hi Muse:
I know the writing itch well!
E
Hi Ello;
Wave to me!!!
I've had salt bagels . . . YUM. And my kids skated at Rockefeller yesterday!
E
Hi Anti-wife:
I don't get burned out from things I can say no to . . . I have learned to volunteer for thigns that have meaning, to put up boundaries. But . . . four kids mean my sheer work load is sometimes insane.
E
Mark:
Is it a Great Wolf Lodge? I love those!
E
Hi Spy:
I feel guilty about not working a lot too--and I know that's just awful so I try to curb against those feelings.
E
christine:
Guarding my bagels . . . .
E
suzanne:
Take lots of pictures for your blog!
E
MicheleL:
I feed off the energy, too.
E
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