I ended my quarantine a day early – and took that day off from writing to spend with my kids. Now, I am back at home, finally, and slipping into my routine, including being at my own writing desk again. This feels so much better.
Of course, it’s important to be able to writing whenever I have the chance, but, as I was talking about with my wife last night, it is critical to have a good working environment. Working with just a laptop on a crappy hotel desk results in tired eyes and a sore neck for me. Here at home I have elevated the laptop to eye level, with an external keyboard to keep my arms at the right height, plus I have my ergonomic chair and a desk that I had built for my size. The differences are subtle, but even in an hour-long writing session, I can certainly feel them.
Plus there is the mental health benefit of being at home. I was getting really stressed being trapped in my tiny quarantine room. I have a new understanding for that metaphor about a caged tiger, now. It messes with your head, being stuck in such a small space.
Because I’m home, my writing session was shorter today, down to the usual hour-ish length before the family wakes up, but I still got in 1700 words and another 2 sections of the final chapter of my non-fiction book. Only two more sections and the wrap-up left to go!