Today is the last day of work before I start Xmas holidays. At my job, we get the 24-26th of December off (rare in the restaurant industry) plus my usual days off are Monday to Thursday so I have five whole days off to go spend time with my family in Manitoba. I’m looking forward to it and I’m sure that will make the day go fast.
But, this morning, before I go in to work, I need to work.
I have two clients that I still do some writing work and social media work for. It’s not a lot of work but they bring in a nice chunk of change so I’m hesitant to even consider letting them go. The work isn’t hard. I think I could do it in my sleep if I had to. I’ve been writing for them that long.
One of them I’ve been working with for about 10 or so years. The other for five years. The work is consistent. The rules rarely change. The deadlines are the same each month.
Yet, I consistently find myself procrastinating. Writing a blog post (like now!), or more recently, playing videos games are always a more appealing option.
Animal Crossing is my big obsession. I’ve been playing it on Nintendo Switch for almost a year now and it’s become a daily thing. At the very least, I need to log in, check in with Resident Services, change my outfit, say hi to my villagers, hit my rocks (to get rocks, iron, and clay) and water/harvest my gardens and/or pick my fruits. But there’s lots of other things to do and if I log in I won’t finish until minutes before I have to go get ready for work.
There are other video games, too. Lately I’ve been into Fae Farm and I’m enjoying the new world, the characters, and setting everything up. Mining, fishing, and friendships and of course, quests. And a little bit of battling magical creatures.
And on top of that, I have a new PS5 that calls to me. I haven’t figured out my favorite games on there yet but I’m experimenting with a few.
So, this morning, I will suck it up and do my writing. Even though I’d rather be making snowboys on Animal Crossing. There’s a limited time to perfect the snowboys and gain the perks from the (crafting materials and seasonal recipes) so I hate to lose even one day. But today, I need to write.
But this is how I know that it is time to take a break from writing for money. I’m not saying I won’t ever try to get back to it. Maybe someday I will try to make money by writing on this blog by putting on some ads or offering sponsored posts. But for now, this blog needs to not be about money for me. I need to write simply because I feel like writing something.
Maybe someday I’ll want to write some fiction again. Today is not that day.
Today, I’d rather be making snowboys!
