6 Things Keeping Me Busy

annca via Pixabay

This year, we had the luxury of two weeks at the beach. COVID put a crimp in our plans, but we opted to go anyway, socially distancing from a condo at the beach instead of from our home in Pennsylvania. Trips outside the condo complex have been mostly limited to procuring supplies and, as of the beginning of week two, I've yet to make it to the beach, but it has been one of the most relaxing vacations I can remember.

I packed for a staycation, and have been quietly filling my days, with little desire to leave the screened-in porch that is my happy place (at least until I opt for air conditioning midday).

What on earth am I doing?

1. Reading. I packed my Kindle, some magazines, and one hardcover book I intend to finish before returning home. And there's always stuff to read online.
2. Revising. I am in the home stretch for incorporating my copy editor (a.k.a. my sister)'s comments into the third Marita/Angel/Charli book, bringing it one step closer to actual publication.
3. Blogging. Though it's sometimes a challenge to remember what day it is, I'm sticking to my usual blogging schedule. 
4. Sketchnoting. I started playing with this before leaving for vacation, and made sure to pack my journal and my markers. In addition, I'm using the techniques to plot out new ideas and cull the key ideas of books -- actual sketchnoting!
5. Inbox reduction. This fell by the wayside (I am on vacation, after all!) but when I checked after only a few days of not doing it and realized how many hundreds of emails I had to get rid of just to get to my previous baseline, I quickly decided to get back on top of things. 
6. Brushing up on my French skills online. In addition to finding fun sketchnoting videos in my work inbox, I also found Duolingo and am having a great time sharpening long-dormant skills. I briefly tried Spanish, and may go back to it, but, for now, I'm sticking with the language I love best. 

One thing I'm doing less of than usual is writing. I brought my notebooks along but haven't made much headway. I feel a twinge of guilt about this from time to time but, as long as I'm working on my revisions, I'm keeping writing in the mix.

One other thing I'm not doing? Cooking.

And I feel nothing akin to a twinge of guilt about that.