Jul 10 2010
What To Do On A Day Off
All this week I have been looking forward to today – a day off in a busy week. I’ve been out working most days, only to come home and work late in the evening finishing work just so that I could NOT WORK today. There is, however, one challenge.
I don’t know what to do when I’m not working. Such is the problem of somebody who converted their hobby into a career.
- I thought about doing housework, but ‘Hey, it’s my day off!’
- I thought about watching a movie, but the family are already watching Knights of the Holy Grail which I have never really understood (I know I must be the only person in the entire world who just sees it as silly).
- Thought about reading a book, but the laughing from said family at said movie is echoing around the entire house and slightly distracting.
- Did think about going out, but ‘Hey, it’s cold and wet outside, and my Ugg boots are warm!’
Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m lucky to have a career that I enjoy so much that I do it even on my days off. But I have a feeling that by the time I think of something non-work related to do it will be tomorrow and my day off will be over again.
So the question is, does anybody else have this problem? What do other writers do on their days off?
(PS I did start a new hobby – gardening – but like I said it’s cold and wet outside today.)
Oh my goodness, yes. My father-in-law got me Monty Python’s Holy Grail for some Christmas or other, and I have watched it a time or two with the husband, but I just cannot fathom the hilarity everyone else sees in it.
I have too many hobbies, so finding something to do when I’m not writing (which is, sadly, rather frequent) is a snap. In fact, one could very easily suggest that my growing number of other hobbies is a large part of why I CAN write about so much, and why I DON’T write nearly enough. So many exciting things to write about! But never enough time to do those things and also write about them before something else super exciting comes up! Also, is it coffee time? Absolutely! Time to drink coffee and stare into the fish tanks for, oh no, an hour!
Though seriously, I think that when I’m not writing or doing other things in particular, I go and hang out with people.
My advice is to not get too many other hobbies. If you have a day off your writing, definitely don’t use it to get started on a brand new exciting project because that’s the sneaky project-cycle, where everything is a new and exciting project and you must certainly just finish this off before you get around to all that other stuff… Like building a octopus-shaped box from paper-mâché. That’s definitely a time-sink. Trust me. I KNOW.
Also, don’t listen to any cats when they recommend fun things to do. They just want to chase bugs.
~Ashlee
Advice well given, thank you Ashlee.
I know I always say that hobbies are great for expanding the amount of things you can confidently write about, but I guess there is also such a thing as too much of a good thing.
Octopus-shaped box from paper-mâché ?
Well I’m not writing every day yet but on my day/ hours off I like to watch House with my hubby. He’s a lot like the Gregory House character except he’s not a doctor ; )
hmmm does that make me a Wilson or a Cuddy?
However, I do have a fish tank and I do gardening so I suppose I could write about those hobbies…
Oh and I suppose coming to this blog, reading tips and adding comments is something I might do when I have good writing time on my hands…
You ‘suppose coming to this blog’? What is the world coming to, my blog is now an after thought.
Still I can’t complain, good writing time really should be used productively.
I enjoy House too, although I reckon a bit more variation in the individual plots wouldn’t go amiss.