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Energetic. Bubbly. Joyful.
These are all words people have used recently to describe me.
One person even said, “I wonder if you ever have a bad day.”
Another said she admires me because I am “so together.”
While these comments are sometimes flattering, sometimes that make me wonder if I’m being fake.
“A woman must have… a room of her own if she is to write.” – Virginia Woolf
I never needed a room of my own to write, but I longed for one anyway.
As a girl when I shared a room with my younger brother I found a way to write my really bad poetry in spite of all the chaos that little brothers can bring. (I love you, C.J.!)
But when I finally got a room of my own at age 12, I felt like a queen reigning over her queendom. My bad poetry got a bit better and I started writing short stories, too.
Fast forward to adulthood and at age 25 I found myself sharing my room again — this time with my husband. I continued to write nonetheless. No longer much of a poet or fiction writer, I was busy writing articles for newspapers and magazines, blog posts for websites, and personal essays for myself.
I could and would write anywhere — at our dining room table, on our sofa, in our bed. But that famous quote from Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own stayed in my head and I kept dreaming of a home office.
Last year, when my husband and I became first-time homeowners and traded in our two-bedroom apartment for a three-bedroom house, my dream came true.
I love my whole house from its high ceilings to its hardwood floors, but my office is the apple of my eye. And the reactions my girlfriends give when they see it for the first time cause me to swell with joy.
“Oh my gosh! Hashtag goals!” one person said.
“This is a YouTube office!” exclaimed another friend.
“Your office is like a Pinterest board come to life,” declared someone else.
But I’m not writing this post just to brag about how dope my office is. I want to offer a few tips to help you create an inspiring workspace of your own.
I used to pride myself on being a workaholic. Javacia “No Days Off” Bowser I called myself.
My work ethic is necessary if I’m going to do all the things I want to do: teach, write, and build a business.
But all work and no play makes Javacia a dull and crabby girl. So earlier this year I made the decision to take one day off each week. I decided that Saturday would be a day for having fun with family and friends or just relaxing. Some weeks this isn’t possible. Today, for example, I have spent the past 10 hours grading papers. Seriously.
But I think it’s important for everyone, even folks who are trying to build their own business while still working a full-time job, to take one day off a week.
Firstly, it helps you avoid getting burned out. Whenever I don’t take a day off I pay for it. I usually feel stressed and overwhelmed the next week. I feel discouraged and start loosing sight of why I’m doing what I do in the first place.
Secondly, taking a day off is also good for your health. Before I started taking Saturdays off I would often get severe headaches — some even approaching migraine territory as I would feel nauseous and dizzy and have trouble seeing.
Lastly, your day off can be great motivation. You can’t take your day off unless you get a certain amount of work done the rest of week (hence the reason I’ve been grading papers all day). So use that day of fun and relaxation as motivation to tackle your to-do list without procrastination. Your day off can also motivate you to learn to say “No.” This month I have taken on entirely too much, which put me behind in grading papers, which led to this craptastic day. Let’s hope I learned my lesson.
And remember not to feel guilty for taking a break. Your day off is your reward for all the hard work you did the rest of the week. You deserve it!
Each day in November for #bloglikecrazy I’ll be publishing a blog post that answers your questions about blogging, social media, writing, wellness or women’s empowerment. Send your questions to javacia@seejanewritebham.com.