Burnt (out) and Ernie

[note that I wrote this yesterday but am posting today due to Internet connectivity issues]

I have today off work. That really is a beautiful thing. Don’t get me wrong: I’m incredibly thankful that I have a job, and even more thankful that I have two. But working 6 days a week is tough. It’s even worse when you cover a shift on your day off and work 13 in a row. 

It’s a bit frustrating, because I was so burnt out after only 13 days. Previously I worked 18, and I felt far worse on day 11 this time than I did at day 17 last time. Perhaps I’m getting old. But I’m not even 30. 

Those numbers in the previous paragraph add up to 89. As I age, I have to do things to keep my mind sharp. Not really. It’s just a lot of numbers, so I added them. This paragraph isn’t particularly interesting. 

Anyway, this brings me to a question: when you work a lot, how do you stay fresh? And how do you keep yourself in your art? I wrote and painted very little. Perhaps this is what brought me down. I mean, I do recall that I spent a lot of time doing both when I worked 18. Was that really relaxing my brain that much? Or is it a different matter altogether? We were much busier at both jobs when I did 18. Did the slowness give me more time to think about it? Too many variables, too few controls. 

So what do you do? Give me your tips. 

ps Don’t try to figure out the title. There is nothing there except it sounding like Bert and Ernie. 

[note that I wrote this yesterday but am posting today due to Internet connectivity issues]

I have today off work. That really is a beautiful thing. Don’t get me wrong: I’m incredibly thankful that I have a job, and even more thankful that I have two. But working 6 days a week is tough. It’s even worse when you cover a shift on your day off and work 13 in a row. 

It’s a bit frustrating, because I was so burnt out after only 13 days. Previously I worked 18, and I felt far worse on day 11 this time than I did at day 17 last time. Perhaps I’m getting old. But I’m not even 30. 

Those numbers in the previous paragraph add up to 89. As I age, I have to do things to keep my mind sharp. Not really. It’s just a lot of numbers, so I added them. This paragraph isn’t particularly interesting. 

Anyway, this brings me to a question: when you work a lot, how do you stay fresh? And how do you keep yourself in your art? I wrote and painted very little. Perhaps this is what brought me down. I mean, I do recall that I spent a lot of time doing both when I worked 18. Was that really relaxing my brain that much? Or is it a different matter altogether? We were much busier at both jobs when I did 18. Did the slowness give me more time to think about it? Too many variables, too few controls. 

So what do you do? Give me your tips. 

ps Don’t try to figure out the title. There is nothing there except it sounding like Bert and Ernie. 

Burnt (out) and Ernie