The Light at the End of the Tunnel

February 16, 2005, 1:14 p.m.
This has been one of the busiest months of my freelance career. I have written numerous articles over the past few weeks (just eight more deadlines to meet by next Friday) and I am feeling a little burnt out. On top of the assignments I have been working on, I have also been sending queries and preparing to teach a class.
The hectic pace has taught me a few things: an ample supply of Diet Coke makes it much easier to burn the midnight oil, it is possible to get a headache from thinking too much, and the only cure for cabin fever is a late night ice cream run.
In the midst of working, I have kept my promise to take better care of myself.
I took last weekend off and spent two full days lounging around in my pajamas, reading the newspaper, and watching romantic movies, I treated myself to a massage on Valentine’s Day, and I have started taking a walk in the middle of the day.
At first, it seemed counterproductive to be away from my desk when there was so much to do but after a while I realized that the energy I get from a 20-minute walk makes me much more productive.
For me, maintaining balance is definitely a work-in-progress. I skipped my yoga class this morning in favor of work and I am still struggling to walk away from the office at the end of the day (I always manage to find an excuse to check e-mail, write another paragraph, or follow up with an editor at 10 p.m.).
But I am determined to keep my promise to take a bit of time off. I am going to spend the first week of March sleeping in, working on my scrapbook, reading the rest of Reading Lolita in Tehran – a book I started six months ago, fell in love with, and never had time to finish.
I’ll probably still be checking e-mail and skimming the headlines for story ideas but at least I’ll be taking time for some other (personal) projects.