3 Things I Love About Having the House to Myself

cliparts101.com

Two Saturdays ago, I polished off a freelance article I'd been wanting to write for a couple of weeks. I'd jotted down notes and had ideas simmering in my head, but I hadn't found time to tackle it. What made that particular Saturday the perfect time?

No one else was home.

I love my family, and I love having them around, but the truth is, I work much better in a quiet house.  Here are a few reasons why.

1. I can think. There are no external distractions -- or very few, anyway. This is a big deal to those of us who are quite good at distracting ourselves with no assistance from others.
2. I don't get interrupted. Even when it's a good day and I can tune out the distractions in a not-so-quiet house, interruptions are a distraction all their own. They require not only attention, but action. By the time I've provided both of these things, I often forget what I was doing in the first place.
3. No one cares how I look. I get my best ideas right before I fall asleep, in the morning before I actually get out of bed and when I'm in the shower. Two of those times, I'm in my pajamas, or whatever pajama-like clothing I changed into when I got out of bed. When no one else is home, I make a beeline from the bedroom to my office to put these ideas on paper before I forget them, and I don't feel the least bit self-conscious about my wardrobe.

Yes, I know I used this before. I love these!
cafepress.com

Really, it's all about balance. A quiet, all-to-one's-self house is like hitting the free time lottery. The possibilities are endless, and there's no tug of war between what I'm doing and what I think I should be doing.

But when I'm ready to wind down, to step away from the computer and characters and blogs, I'm really glad my house isn't quiet all the time. 

After all, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.