As a writer who works at home 'outside of work' sounds like a strange term. Everything I do is at home, for the most part, so whether that's writing or chilling out it's in the same space. I also don't have a timetable I have to stick to, I can take a break whenever I like. But I do try to stick to a good routine, so when my boys are at school I work in my office and when they're home I do other things. Chores and cooking dinner come before chilling out.
Organising My Day
School starts and so does my work. I write for the blog, emails, or my short stories, until lunch time and then I take a break. In the afternoon it's just the same, I work until my boys get home. I then move on to chores and getting dinner ready for my family. We sit together to eat dinner and chat, going over what the boys have done during their day at school. It's a chance for us all to be together and enjoy our meal.
Once all the chores are done and we've eaten dinner we chill out.
How I Chill
Choosing what to do when the jobs for the day are done depends on my mood. Sometimes I'll choose games, other times I just want to sit and watch my favourite shows. But here's a list of activities I do when I'm not working.
Video Games
A while ago I bought myself a Nintendo Switch Lite, it's a handy little gaming device and perfect for casual gaming. I'm not a serious gamer, I want to have fun and I don't take it too seriously. Some of the games I play include Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Lego Incredibles, and I've just got into playing Fortnite.
Even though you're growing up, you should never stop having fun.
Nina Dobrev
Fortnite is a game my boys and husband have been playing for a long time. It's not something I thought I would enjoy but I wanted to give it a go. I figured I would play it for a while, find out I couldn't play because it was too hard, and give up quickly moving on to something else. Instead what happened was I played, and played, and played. The start of the game works in a way that pulls you in and before you know it you want to play every day. Now that's not to say I do play every day but I could.
TV & Movies
At the end of a long day I enjoy sitting in our recliners and watching our favourite shows. Being able to sit back and relax, forgetting about the day's work, and escaping into a fictional world. Nothing beats watching a good movie with the Hubby.
Reading
I usually read a chapter or two of my current read before going to sleep at night. If I get some free time at the weekend I like to read too, but I like to read when I won't be interrupted and if the kids are about that's fairly likely. I love thrillers, crime fiction, sci-fi, anything (apart from romance) as long as it's got a gripping storyline. I'm currently reading Call Me! by John Locke.
Walking
My daily walk is how I get exercise, but sometimes I'll use it as a way to calm down too, especially if I'm stressed. Getting outside in the fresh air and being around nature somehow eases stress (I have no idea why this works!) and I feel better every time. I am overweight and unfit, so a tough walk is sometimes too much but even just a stroll along the canal is enough to help. The Hubby and I have been known to do more than one 4 mile walk in a day when we're stressed or want to think things through.
Do anything, but let it produce joy.
Walt Whitman
Other Hobbies
On occasion I like to draw and will sometimes choose to do this instead of games. There's also cross-stitch on my list, although I haven't done that in a while. And then there's just sitting in a quiet room alone - the peace and quiet is brilliant when you can get it!
So there you have it, that's how I spend my time when I'm not writing.
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