by Susan Tweit
I’m on the living room couch, sitting sideways with my back against one arm and my feet against the other, with my laptop in my lap.
I’m at work. Really.
I didn’t used to admit to working from the couch.
When asked about my writing routine, I would explain that I begin with journalling to warm up before diving into whatever writing project is most urgent, and spin sentences steadily until mid-afternoon. After that, I switch to research, arranging events, paying bills, and taking care of the business of writing.
That’s all true. But that recital omits to mention where I write, which increasingly is on the couch with my feet up, rather than sitting at the desk in my office with its grand view over town and landscape.
I rely on couch time in a new effort to make my work sustainable.
Not so much in terms of its impact on the planet. It’s already pretty green there: I don’t commute, our house is largely heated by the sun and generates its own electricity from solar energy as well; I do my errands on foot, recycle most of my “trash,” and purchase frugally, buying planet-friendly products wherever possible.
The sustainability I’m currently focusing on involves my personal energy budget, balancing the work I do in a day with the energy I have to accomplish it.
This is critical for me: For most of my adult life, I’ve lived with an illness that is difficult to define but often considered a form of Lupus. Since both cause and cure remain a mystery, I manage my health by adapting my life to minimize the symptoms.
Which is why I write from the couch: having my feet up is less tiring, stretching my slender energy budget farther in a given day.
We all have too much to do and too few hours in a day to do it. And we belong to a culture that rewards “doers,” not “be-ers.”
Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacation days than workers in other developed countries, but we’re no more productive per hour. I think that says we need to work less, and hope to be more productive by adapting work to our individual needs – which could mean taking nap breaks, or walks, or writing from the couch.
I get immediate feedback when I do too much, and thus overdraw my energy account: my symptoms flare up.
Not that I always pay attention.
I’m pretty good when I’m at home, but lately Richard and I have spent a lot of time on the road going back and forth to Denver for his brain cancer treatment. I can’t take my couch with me.
So I’m looking at this travel as an opportunity to practice what I’m calling “Slow Work,” something akin to the Slow Food movement. I’ll practice working away from my couch in a way that honors my particular quirks, with attention to staying healthy inside and out, as well as what I accomplish.
I’ll keep you posted on how I do!
Copyright 2010 Susan J. Tweit
