Well, this has been a weird week.

Anticipating more time at home, I made myself a to-do list earlier this week to keep myself productive and active. Today was really the first time I needed to turn to it, but it’s already nearly halfway done.

It might surprise you that I’m not seeing this extra time at home as a solid block of extra writing time. I definitely hope to get more writing done, but I’m also realistic about my habits and how my mind works; I have my routine, and part of that routine is time away from writing so new ideas have time to percolate.

Breaks are necessary. Variety is necessary.

So, my advice right now is don’t put too much pressure on yourself to change your writing routine to accommodate this extra time. Take advantage of it, sure, but don’t start forcing yourself to fill every spare minute with your project just because you have the minutes to spare; otherwise, you’re as likely to burn out as finish. It’s okay to step away every now and then, even if you don’t have anything else to do.