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Ironically, I’m probably doing this week-long topic at a time when I’m toiling away at a project. My hope is that my calculations are correct (they never are) and this is the week between the personal project and Ichabod Brooks stories. Keep in mind that I’m writing this up in January in order to give myself a bigger February cushion. No idea what I’m going to post in April, but I’ll burn that bridge when I come to it.
Finding time for a break seems to be a harder job than any career out there. You toil away at whatever you’re doing in the hopes of getting some rest on the weekend or in the evening. Sadly, many of us reach this point when we’re too tired to enjoy it to its fullest or accept sleep as the break. Humans are strange this way. We spend 25% of our lives learning information (most of which we have no use for), the next 50% working hard at a job we might not have dreamed of, and the last 25% with plenty of free time that we might not be able to enjoy. Age and mileage build up after all. This is why breaks throughout life are really important. Just so, so elusive.
My breaks are always strange. I’ll choose a DVD set to watch and toss it in. Working my way through Seasons 1-10 of Supernatural right now. Got through the first 6 before I had to get back to work, so I’m watching 7 if I’m free. I don’t feel as rushed to get my biking done, which is good. More thank likely, I’ll grab a notebook and do some low stress character creating. My mind will always slip back to future projects and worrying about time being of the essence. Especially with another Legends of Windemere book coming down the pipeline. I should probably edit the 14th, but that can come after Ichabod and I probably need to find some beta readers for that. Doesn’t help that an idle author is a universal signal for those around him/her to give them chores, errands, tasks, etc.
As you can see, the body might be resting while the brain keeps trying to push. That makes me wonder about grabbing even a small break. Is it possible that the way some of us work puts our bodies and minds out of synch? I rest my body, but I can’t do the same to my mind. The two aren’t on the same wavelength. Frustration sets in as I try to work, but the fingers stumble and the brain is already far ahead. Still, every little nap and snooze helps keep me going. It’s a long road we take through life and not many have the luxury of floating along with the current all the time.
So, what do you do when you take a break from things?
Legends of Windemere 
Take a bath with a book…or walk the dog… that’s my daily break. A good book stops my mind misbehaving and trying to work when I want it to take a break. he dog takes all my attention anyway and I get fresh air 🙂
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Awesome choices. I’m always scared about combining bathes with books. How do you keep them safe?
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Years of practice, Charles, a handy towel…and NEVER take the Kindle in there 😉
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Good advice. Almost forgot about the Kindle issue.
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It isn’t too happy in the bath 😉
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Read a book. Watch a movie at the theater or a dvd. Take a walk. Simple things. But, honestly, I never feel like I ever really have a break. Even when I read, I’m snatching an hour at lunch or right before bed or whatever.
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I feel that way too. Even when I’m having those periods between projects, I still feel like I have to do something productive. Almost like it’s unnatural to take a break.
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It is just part of normal life, I guess. Hopefully, your family is more understanding of your need to relax than mine. Whenever I try to read or do anything, I’m always bombarded with everything I should be doing/fixing. 😦
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That’s pretty much what happens here. I settle down with a book and get a list of requests. If not that then my son decides it’s time to play. No rest of the relaxing.
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What is this break thing you keep mentioning?
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I believe it’s a period of time where you are not working or running errands. People may also call it rest.
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Huh. Feels like I should have heard of it, but no, nothing comes to mind.
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Betting a memo was sent, but people got our addresses wrong.
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Since I started having more luck at actually sleeping at night (a battle I’ve been fighting with my body for several years, but that’s another story) I made it a personal rule that once we’ve cleaned up after dinner, my computer goes off, I’m not allowed to check social media, and anything that absolutely can not wait until the following morning as regards household chores is ignored. The time between when dinner is over and when I go to bed is my time to relax, to do things because I want to and not because I need to, and let at least my body rest, even if my mind doesn’t always do so well at doing so. Most evenings this will see me playing with my rodent gang for a while, and then curling up with my Kindle until bed time. Sometimes I’ll switch things up and watch TV instead of reading though.
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That should have read “anything other than what absolutely can not wait”
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Sounds like a smart system. I try to relax on nights where I don’t have anything that I really need to finish up. This stems from me hating being in the middle of a chapter and not finishing it before bed. Happens a lot more often in my old age. I try to take an hour of downtime for lunch too. What kind of rodent gang is it?
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It’s recently decreased to only include a pair of chinchillas and a degu. We did have others, but we recently lost a large chunk of the rodent gang for various reasons.
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Have to admit that I didn’t expect a degu to be mentioned. Was expecting hamsters and guinea pigs.
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I hate being in the middle of a chapter and needing to stop to go to bed too. That’s why I generally do my writing earlier in the day.
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I try, but things happen. This week isn’t too bad. Tomorrow has a bunch of school events that I’m going to. Think it’s Book Week.
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I’ve had hamsters and guinea pigs in the past. Also gerbils, rabbits, and rats. I also had more degus at one point (the one we still have is the survivor of a sibling group of four who were the inspiration for my “Degu Days Duo” books).
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We only had hamsters here. Never knew a degu could be a pet.
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My only “kids” being of the furry kind probably helps a lot in my case.
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True. The human ones can be quite the handful.
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I never knew degus could be pets either, until shortly before getting my boys. They’ve been a learning experience, that’s for sure!
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Looks a lot like a gerbil or jerboa. So I guess it shouldn’t surprise me too much.
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Well…there’re those required breaks for cleaning, walking the dog, food, and sleep. Wish I could go without the cleaning or sleep, but one’s necessary for survival and the other one needs to be done so I don’t get yelled at. But during most of these things, my mind is still on whatever number of projects I have going on. I tend to procrastinate a lot, if that counts as a break. Now, as for actual downtime between projects: puzzles and reading.
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I’ve met people who forego the cleaning and it is not recommended. At least if you want to interact with people, leave the house, own a plant, have pets, or retain your own sense of smell. I wonder if physical rest counts even if it isn’t matched with mental rest.
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I walk the dog, go play tennis, read a book, etc. I’m good at taking breaks. Like, I should have a degree in it. Getting errands done, on the other hand, nah… they can wait.
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College would be a lot more fun with majors like that. My major is in Breaks, but I’m minoring in aimlessly puttering around the house. They go remarkably well together.
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Sounds like a tough minor. You probably have to certify in 1st aid for it.
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Probably. That sounds like work though. Could just marry a nurse.
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All I get is when others insist. My wife decides it’s time to air me out, or the dog wants to play, this weekend my son wanted to show me a video game. We will be taking the camper out once the seasons change though.
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Airing out is definitely something to consider. 😁
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I don’t think I take breaks. Well, I write short stories which are refreshing. I write scripts for radio shows which are restful. I write blog posts which are a break I guess. I have, to be honest. There is not a day free of writing. So a break for me is a walk on the beach, mow the lawn, make a killer meal, watch an hour show and maybe a movie on the weekend. Oh yes, I go to the bathroom.
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Sounds like there are some breaks even if they aren’t for a full day. I’m not one to take an entire day off either. My breaks tend to include some outlining.
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🙂
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Walking the dogs gives me a refreshing break! I do watch movies on weekends! All writing gets done in between. Have a good week, Charles! 🎶 Christine
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Thanks. Enjoy your week too. Movies on the weekends is fun that I really wish I could get back to.
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When I have a break, I also work my way through a season of a show. Working my way through the Pokemon X and Y anime, since I’m playing Pokemon X for the 3DS.
I like your low-stress character creation idea. Think I’ll do that right now.
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I saw a few episodes. They were saving the world instead of catching Pokémon
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Housework. Combines physical movement with non-thinking activity so my mind can plan. Afterward, I even have the pressure off from my house being messy.
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I need to remember that. Except for dusting. That’s always a pain.
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For me, taking a break is taking the dog for a long walk (where I get lots of ideas for more writing), or watching TV or a movie (where I get lots more ideas for writing).
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I’m getting the feeling that a dog can really help here. Taking the 7-year-old for a walk doesn’t have the same level of relaxation. That and he keeps slipping the leash. 😀 I wonder how many wonder authors get ideas from watching TV and movies. Seems to be rather common, but many people say it as if they’re either ashamed or think they’re the only ones.
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I’ll be honest and say that I watch TV and/or movies far more than I do read books. TV writers seldom get the credit for the incredible writing they do that makes a show a huge success. We’ve been blessed over the autumn and winter months with some amazing TV shows where the writing has been out of this world. That’s why I get so many writing ideas when watching TV.
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I’m the same. Part of it is length of downtime. Being a slow reader doesn’t help either. Trying to think of any shows I watch that were amazing lately. Sad that I’m having trouble. What were you watching?
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‘Apple Tree Yard’ is a recent one, and ‘The Replacement’ is a current BBC show which has so much suspense in it that it’s almost got me falling off the edge of my sofa. Last year, ‘The Living And The Dead’ was shown on the BBC. It had me gripped and had one of the best twists and endings I’ve ever witnessed in a TV drama.
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I’ll have to give those a look. I tend to gravitate toward fantasy and paranormal series. Hard to find good ones of those, but there’s a new one coming to Starz that looks fun. ‘American Gods’ based on books by Neil Gaiman.
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In which case, check out ‘The Living & The Dead.’ It’s a paranormal story set in the 19th century. I was hooked from the first episode.
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Very cool. I’ll give it a look. You said it was BBC?
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Yes, it was screen on BBC1.
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Thanks. Need to figure out what channel that is around here.
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