I took a break

This is the second year that I've opted to stay away from my computer (in a recreational sense) throughout the lead up to Christmas. I feel better for it. As much as I enjoy working on my various projects, December can always feel like there isn't enough time to get everything done, especially around work and catching up with friends and family.

Last year, feeling a little overwhelmed by everything I had to do and a little crunched for time, I ended up staying away from my computer while I tackled everything that needed to be tackled. I don't remember if it was a conscious decision or not, but what I do remember was that it might have been the first Christmas I genuinely enjoyed.

This time around, I knowingly employed the same strategy. I still felt a little stressed as Christmas approached, and like time was running thin, but it didn't stress me out to the point that I had a bad time. Being stressed because you might not have enough time to get everything done, and being stressed because you don't have enough time to get everything done, are two very different beasts.

Today is the first day in a while that I've been able to ignore my phone, put the radio on, and just sit at my desk for an extended period of time without having to worry about anything else. I booked the past week off work, with the hope that might find a few hours to sit where I am now sooner, but this time of year is busy, and I'm not too upset that I've only got the chance to do this today. I'm back to work tomorrow, and I can back to my usual routine of stealing an hour or two when I can to enjoy myself with some coding or computer based projects.

Now I just need to look at my projects and figure out where I had got to and what on earth I was about to do before my hiatus..