Taking a break from work isn’t my forte, in truth, I am a confirmed workaholic. Ten, twelve, or fourteen-hour days are easy. When facing a deadline, I can put in sixteen and eighteen hours to complete my project. Balance is difficult to attain. I read the studies and follow the papers reporting the benefits of getting breaks. I understand the concepts, but holidays are torture. My internal voice screams, “Do Something.”

What’s a girl to do? I resort to tricks. During the workweek, I set timers using the 52-minute, 17-minute rule, and I force myself to obey. Vacations require creative solutions. I know my temperament, stay-cations are not an option. I must go away. Even on a budget, there are no-cost or low-cost options. I have organized girlfriend weekends, an adult sleepover where we schedule grown-up daytime excursions. The upside is we get to reconnect with fun adventures.

Other times I have cashed in reward points to use at a local hotel. The trick is to leave all work materials at home and create an over-scheduled, flexible plan. For this hack, I find open-ended or drop-in activities. Planning a visit to the zoo, the art museum, or a walk along the lakefront serves several purposes. It gets me moving and the locations are places where I can lose myself without feeling antsy.

The result is I return from my vacation weekend refreshed, full of new ideas and ready for work.

What vacation activities help you unwind?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sadly, summer won’t last all year. Back to school sales remind parents and students the end looms on the horizon. Summer plans lay forgotten, buried under half-empty sunscreen bottles, beach towels, and procrastination. Time to find your list. It doesn’t matter if work has interfered with your best intentions or if you have indulged in too much summer entertainment. The answer is the same. Make the most of your week and double down on your weekends.

The workweek becomes more productive with a deadline and a desire to enjoy what summer remains to the fullest. Realization is in the air and coworkers schedule their vacations. Fewer meetings, fewer distractions create room to focus and finish. Temperatures are hot and the weekends are for celebrations. I plan to delay binge-watching my favorite shows, saving them for crisp autumn nights. I’ll revel in these lazy days. Bon voyage.

How will you spend your remaining summer days?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Sometimes words don’t come. We get tired, and we block the free flow of words. The result is frustrating, and it can grow into a debilitating problem. Joni has the right idea. The best remedy is to change the flow. Change your movements, do something different, push writing from your mind. My answer is allowing my hands the freedom to engage in activities they know well.  It allows my brain to rest. Completing chores around the house, working out, crocheting a scarf or a blanket or using my sewing machine creates needed space.

Rote activities shift my brain into neutral, it clears a space, leaving a void.  The universe despises voids. Voids require filling. That is when inspiration strikes and I am soon back at my keyboard, filling blank pages with another story.

What activities help you clear the way for your story?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer