Had a difficult time dragging myself out of bed this morning and made the mistake of looking at the day’s to-do list before coffee. Had to take my imposter syndrome by the scruff and give it a gentle shake–no wonder I’m feeling overwhelmed, after back-to-back copyedits, a new release, and Everything Else. Three years of functioning under pandemic circumstances are beginning to tell. It’s time to be gentle with myself, and to not make any silly decisions because I’m tired.
Never make any life decisions before coffee or after 9pm, my friends. It’s a good rule, one I wish I’d known sooner. Of course I feel a bit panicked, given the sheer amount of work going on. Of course I feel drained after upping my livestreaming time. And of course I feel frayed down to transparency after back-to-back copyedits.
I prefer too much work to too little, naturally, and I’ve got my wish. Now there’s proof pages to get done, and I can spend the rest of spooky season on revisions and the serial. I think NaNoWriMo this year will be the next Tolkien Viking Werewolves book, so that’s one decision off my plate. And I’m considering tapering down the weekly online teas in favor of simply reading to you madcaps. We’ll see.
The weather has finally turned. It’s no longer a gasping-hot mess outside, which makes walkies–not to mention daily runs–ever so much more pleasant. Pretty soon I’ll need a jacket during Boxnoggin’s morning struts, and I can’t wait. The fitful breeze through my office window is the perfect temperature, and despite the fact that the season changing means a lot more yard work, I’m extremely happy. It’s not quite pumpkin season yet…but the gourds are swelling on the vine, and soon the rains will come in.
I’m ever so much more productive when it rains, so I’m looking forward to that. So it’s time for deep breathing, a stern look at my imposter syndrome (already shrinking to pea-size since such things always quail in the face of objective proof), and some toast to balance out the coffee just hitting my bloodstream. And maybe, just maybe, a few hours off today after I finish the critical stuff on the list, since I’ll do no-one at all any good if I hit burnout. That new true-crime documentary on Netflix won’t watch itself, after all.
Happy Thursday, beloveds. We’re almost to the end of the week. If we just hold on a little longer…