I have this really destructive habit that involves me, my computer, and hours and hours of endless working. Actually… it’s not really working. It’s me, sitting in front of my computer, convincing myself that I’m working late into the night when in reality, I’m just sitting in front of my computer refreshing Twitter while simultaneously flipping through Instagram on my phone.
It is destruction.
I stop being a productive computer worker when I hit hour four. Anything after that is a half productive mixture of work, social media, and intense gummy bear snacking.
I’m trying to find a solution. I’m trying to be more productive than. I’ve set high standards for myself, and hanging out on Facebook isn’t really going to get me where I want to be.
Something dawned on me, maybe working less will actually help me work more. Does that make sense? Of course it does. People are totally doing this… I just have my fingers crossed that it will work for me. I’m trying to create a bit of a weekend for myself. My weekend may not necessarily be a Saturday and Sunday situation, but I’m trying to make some space and time when I’m not in front of the computer typing ingredient measurements into a Word document.
Weekends are for biscuit brunch: out on the town or out of your oven.
Think about this: cinnamon rolls without the hustle and bustle of yeast and resting. Cinnamon rolls meets cinnamon-sugar toast meets amazing biscuit madness! I’d like to introduce you to Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls.
I will never stop singing the praises of these Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Biscuits. I’ve told you before and I’ll tell you again: they amaze! If you were to put a fried egg and melty Guryere cheese on these biscuits… I’d come over, we’d get married, I’d move in, and that’s the end of that.
Weekends are for quality (non-internet) reading!
Currently reading: The Age of Miracles and Heads in Beds.
The Age of Miracles is a coming of age/beautifully strange apocalypse story told from the perspective of a twelve-year-old girl. Supreme!
Heads in Beds is a hotel industry tell-all. I am learning sooo many things about what the valet dudes really do to my car. Yea… for serious.
Weekends are for time with friends.
And guacamole and pink champagne. Thank you for the visit, Gaby!
Weekends are for a little splurge.
I happen to be a fan of the gummy bear sugar splurge. It’s a personal preference.
This jar is a test in willpower and cavity prevention.
Weekends are for rest and inspiration.
I just need to remind myself frequently. The recharge is necessary.
The new GATHER Journal is stunning. Full of inspiration.
I hope your weekend is restorative and full of grace. xo to you!
Ps. Don’t make me show you the gummy bear jar at the end of the weekend. It will be awesome/shameful.
94 Responses
Great blog.. Gummy bears are my thing too, but chocolate puts me in a euphori state of mind.
vv
lkkkkkkkkkk
I spent so much time at the beginning the year sick and sick me just sits around refreshing twitter and facebook. Now that I’m feeling better I’m looking forward to making cookies to post on my blog and perfecting a bread recipe.
here’s to being healthy!!
Well said! I took the majority off from this weekend, and GASP, didn’t bring my laptop home from the office. It felt like a rare treat, which pretty sure means I have a major problem, but in the meantime it was damn nice not to be so plugged in!
Next step: Turning off the cell phone for a few hours, or GASP leaving it at home ALL DAY.
A gal can dream.
Aren’t we all stuck at our electronic devices? And while I applaud your change, here I am anyway, reading at my computer. hahahaha
totally captured the perfect weekend [ in my eyes ]. good food + great friends..pure bliss. thanks for the great post :)
-rachel [ http://www.rbanek.blogspot.com ]
I have started doing this too. I have my own thing going with an online shop and at first I was literally making myself work every day. I had a day that we went out with some friends and then shopping after and I didn’t get to work at all, and that’s when I realized that I had to set aside at least 1 day a week that I stop and do some “me” things. Otherwise when I was supposed to be working I would hit days that I lost my drive and would be on the computer and then angry at myself for not getting anything done and it would carry over in the next working time. It’s definitely a very important part of working for yourself, I agree completely! :)
Its definitely nice to stop and smell the roses during the weekend.
Joy, you are truly an inspiration :-)
Your gummy bear jar is making me jealous. They’re my favorite candy!
I do the same thing. I spend hours “working”on my laptop and I get things done, but end up wondering why I wasn’t more productive until I noticed all the pinning and the tweeting and the liking I’ve been doing. ;). My kids love cinnamon rolls and cinnamon sugar toast. This recipe will be perfect for them!
I am currently dying for a jar of gummy bears now, thanks for that, lol!
xx Kait
chickadeesays.blogspot.com
a trip to the drugstore will fix this right up for you!
i just spent my entire saturday morning being the laziest house cat, sipping tea, and doing as i please! no guilt… its my decompression recharge!
You have left me craving gummy bears and a hearty breakfast.
I like how you look at things. :)
i appreciate you!
I love finding new food literature. Gather Journal has some beautiful images. I’ll have to subscribe to them!
I love to cook & bake, try new recipes. I spend a lot of time on the internet checking out recipes, etc.
Then I think, “If I weren’t on the computer so much, I’d have time to make some of these things”.
As it is now, I won’t live long enough to try what I have but I keep sitting in front of computer LOOKING at recipes.
I decided that at least once a week, I would make something totally new & different. I’ve been doing that & love it. It seems that once I get out of that chair & start cooking, I do more cooking then I even intended and that is good! And, usually if I make something, I have to share it w/someone so I actually get to see a friend or two. Everyone’s happy :)
Thanks again Joy, for all of your inspiration.
you understand me, Terri. i’m glad we’re in this together.
your gummy bear jar is so pretty in the light. enjoy your weekend :)
That Heads in Beds book sounds interesting. I just finished re-reading an old favorite of mine, Things Not Seen. It’s about a 15 year old boy who goes invisible one day and he doesn’t know why. It’s a very sweet book :) Now I believe I’m going to start Marley and Me. I saw the movie, but never read the book. I didn’t cry while watching the movie, but I’ll probably cry reading the book.
The biscuit cinnamon rolls look fabulous!
Hopefully working less will get you to be working more. :)
Dude, it’s a total econ situation: diminishing returns. You’re increasingly production on the computer until a certain point, whereupon the returns to your effort start to decrease. That means it’s legit and absolutely time to eat gummy bears.
P.S. I’m reading An Everlasting Meal after hearing about it on the podcast
I’m embracing your mentality too. Weekends are weekends for a reason, not for work!
Ugh, I do the SAME thing… except I browse through new items in my google reader rather than update on Twitter. I’ve made a deal with myself that I **WILL** spend my time on things other than my job and my blog. I must! Too many good books to read and porches to sit on not to. Have a lovely weekend, on whatever days it falls!
Wait, what do valet dudes do to your car?! I’m worried a bit now…is that also what the gummy bears are for? ;)
Heads In Beds! I have a feeling you listen to Dan Savage’s podcast ;) That book is on my list!
I have this same problem! My weekends, if left unmonitored, will be stretches of time with me in PJs simultaneously blogging, watching tv, and checking my phone. It’s really bad. I do believe in the work less/work harder ethos if you work from home… I HAVE to get my butt off the couch in order to feel motivated to do anything else that day.
I just read Age of Miracles and it was really interesting but I was a bit disappointed in the end. I’m easily disappointed though.
Strive to Thrive,
Nic
http://www.Thriving-Wives.com
Yes and yes and yes! Back when I had an office job, I knew that we would all be tons more productive if we worked a five hour day. Surprisingly, it never caught on, but I stand by the claim. And downtime is essential. 2013 is going to be a less is more kind of year if I can help it.
I totally get it. working less leads to more productive working time. it’s definitely a thing!
It can be very hard to unplug. My laptop is a black hole for my attention span so I getcha. Hope you have an excellent weekend!
I feel like I somehow missed those biscuit cinnamon rolls when you first posted them. Thank you so much for the reminder. You have inspired me to start a pinterest board called “Weekending.” Those two recipes are the first pins to the board! Happy weekend, Joy!
Please show us a picture of that gummy bear jar at the end of the weekend!
Also, I will be makng your Raspberry & Ginger Scones out of your cookbook this weekend! x
it looks like i will have to show you the jar of gummy bears at weekend’s end!
let me know how the scones turn out! xo!
I’ll definitely try the biscuit cinnamon rolls. I love carving out relaxation time on the weekends, whether it be reading or listening to the joy the baker podcast.
Such a great post! Especially after hitting the ground running after New Years. Time to breath and recharge! Hope your weekend is wonderful Joy!
A weekend with cinnamon is a weekend well spent…
Weekends can be a great time to catch up with books and music and I love brunch.
Enjoy your weekend
“Weekends are for quality, non-internet reading”–yes!
Well, you got me with the cinnamon rolls… After that I couldn’t read or think. Cinnamon rolls…. mmm… What was I talking about?
I’m reading age of miracles too, on my Kindle. Love the book, love the feeling it gives me.
i love everything about this. i am now also in love with GATHER journal. i had no idea of the awesomeness. thanks, joy!
gather journal is consistently beautiful! i hope you love it!
Love this post and with you on the gummies.
I just found an all natural and no preservative gummies and they taste even better than the regular gummies minus the bear feature…which is dangerous as I keep on sneaking in the pantry for them.
Looking forward to try the cinnamon biscuit.
God this gets to me.
Thank you for this
I’m thinking that a giant jar of gummy bears would be an excellent/slightly weird hostess gift. Way better than another bottle of wine, am I right? Thanks for the inspiration, as always :)
I’m really tempted to buy that Heads in Beds book, but as an already neurotic hotel guest I’m not sure that I want to know what goes on….
Yes, yes, and yes! All these things are totally necessary to be more actively productive. Social media is like a black hole and things like pink champagne and time with a book certainly make great life preservers.
so much fun with you yesterday!! and I totally want a pic of the gummy bear jar post weekend. It’s going to be amazing :) xo
I too have felt this way recently…. Refreshing twitter feeds, WordPress apps and Pinterest, I feel like my life is waiting for something to pop into my inbox to be fulfilled! When these outlets are suppose to part of our jobs, it’s so easy to get distracted and forget about all the things we love doing outside of networking… Gardening, taking a walk, reading a book! I’m with you! Yesterday I didn’t gander at my phone but once and it turns out I didn’t miss much!!!
It works, seriously! Working less DOES make you more productive. I’ve started focusing less on my blog and more on building relationships and doing things that give me real happiness and my work has actually become more succesful. :)
have you heard of the pomodoro technique for time management…they claim it helps “eliminate the anxiety of time” and “enhance focus and concentration” https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/ …i’ll admit i’ve not really tried it but the most time efficient person i know swears by it…maybe worth a try?
i just might look into this.
Replace those gummy bears with M&Ms and I’d be in ttrroouubbllleeeee. Who am I kidding, I’d be in trouble with the gummy bears too.
Girl, can I come to visit sometime and just bake some goodies with you?! Eventually I’m going to own my own vegan bakery (probably in about five years or so), and I am in awe of you being able to cook/bake so much! Your kitchen must be tremendous! Given the choice to check out the town or check out (and utilize) your kitchen, I think I might have to take the latter. Haha! Seriously… I am so jealous of how much time you get to use your kitchen! AND use your creativity to invent new foods! :)
It IS destruction, isn’t it!?
I think it’s so interesting that we of the internet are trying/have tried to adhere to New Years resolutions for less screen time, less internet/twitter/instagram/facebook/etc. in favor of doing and making things just for the sake of themselves and not with the goal of blogging/tweeting or otherwise presenting our curated selves to the world.
Let’s cook something that requires us to cover our hands with flour and fore one moment put down the phone or the camera. And eat some gummy bears while it bakes.
XO
‘we of the internet’… hahaha! we’re trying to take time back a bit. it feels necessary.
Oh, I hear ya! Unless I’m actually writing a blog post, my time on the internet in the evening is so FAR from productive. Last night, I didn’t even turn the computer on. I lounged on the couch and watched Downton Abbey instead. It was a nice change of pace. Have a wonderful less-computer-time weekend!
Heads in beds is on my to-read list. Glad to hear a vote in favor of it!
I agree with all of these things! I am going to spend this weekend reading (I already got a head start on that one), baking bread, and working on creative projects!
Great post dear Joy! Less work does = more productivity. I can testify.
<3
love you JK!
Joy,
As always you make me giggle. Thank you for the morning pick me up and reminder of how valuable it is to have time for rest, recharging, self reflection… and giggling.
Plus those cinnamon rolls look absolutely divine and The Age of Miracles has been on the “idea list” for my book club for awhile now. I think it may have just been bumped up to the top of the list.
Thanks for being you & enjoy your weekend!
I read an interview w/Wood Allen years ago, and he said you can really only write 4 or 5 hours per day, so he gets it done first thing, when the day is quiet, then just lives the rest of his life after those 4-5 hours are done. Tennis, etc. DONE. Then, imagine, you’ve had so many hours NOT trying to write, just living, by the next morning, so you’d probably be ready to get at it again.
I remember reading that and feeling like it was a revelation.
=) xo
that is totally a revelation! i don’t know why i’m so hard headed sometimes!
This is so true! The human brain can concentrate at the highest level for about four hours a day; beyond that, it’s just wasted effort. In order to refresh, we need time doing other activities, especially physical things, social things, activities that refresh the spirit. When I was in graduate school one professor used to tell us this; reminded us that being a well-rounded person makes for better intellectual output.
I love the lighting in your photos.. reminds me of that quiet moment when you wake up in the morning and it’s sort of dark but the sun is shining through the windows and everything just seems so peaceful :)
When I used to work a desk job a bunch of us started a four-square league that met outside in the middle of the day. Remember four-square? The old school yard game, not the app! Anyways I was always super productive after an hour in the sun playing and having fun. Good for you finding balance!
middle of the day 4 square!? that’s pretty amazing!
Life is not about reaching a certain destination……..it is about enjoying wherever or whatever stages of life we are in…………stopping to smell the roses along the way……………..so enjoy not only weekends but also the weekdays!
i’m still all about the destination. real.
you HAVE to post a picture of the jar.
you really HAVE to!
thanx for your post. you are so right.
i think the larges amount of time is spent just scrolling down what everyone else is doing, when i should be doing my own thing – meaning i should STEP AWAY from the computer for once!
have a great weekend!
Joy, I love your recipes and your ‘stories’. Thank you for sharing them. Enjoy your weekend/downtime. I m off to make cinnamon biscuits :)
those are dang good! happy weekend!
Work hard, play hard…creating balance is our best chance for doing what we love for as long as we want! Beautiful post! Thank you!
Joy, funny you mention that little habit, I have the same exact one. Sometimes you just gotta step away though. In the words of Virginia Woolf, “It is in our idleness, our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes makes its way to the surface.”
You hit the nail on the head as always Joy. This post couldn’t be more timely – thank you. Enjoy the weekend (although I hope you don’t read this until afterwards!)
Heads in Beds looks good! I really enjoyed your Gone Girl book rec awhile back. Enjoy your day off. Go crazy and make it two!
Have a great weekend!
Funny, I try and relax on the weekends but the brain still will not shut down. It constantly makes me go over things that have to be done for the week ahead. So I guess you have reminded me that I need to shut the T.V.off from all the crap thats out there. Step away from my computer and try to meditate at least for fifteen minutes on two days of the week we call the weekend.. Plus there are so many books I would love to read. So this weekend I am going o do just what I have written. Thanks Joy
thank YOU!
I treasure my weekends &always make sure to have something baking in the oven and a book by my sofa. This weekend will be filled with activity (I’ll be helping my daughter throw a surprise party for her best friend & my house will be full of teenagers!) but I’ll make sure to steal some quiet time!
Love it! Esp the gummy bears and pink champagne, hmm, do I smell a new cocktail? Totally agree that weekends were made for being outdoors or with friends and to heck with the internet! Now off to find a way to make the cinnamon rolls weight watchers friendly :-)
I totally get what you mean! It’s the guilt factor – if I leave this computer chair then I am definitely not doing any work, whereas if I sit here then a tiny foolish part of my brain might just be convinced I’m still being productive.
A friend gave me a new perspective on deadlines once: ‘If I only have three hours to complete this task, and I know I’ve got to do it, I’ll get it done in three hours. If I have three days to complete this task… those three hours work will manage to stretch into three days.’
Made sense, if you’re not a crazy-neurotic-list-maker like me.
it’s totally the guilt factor! you understand me.
I agree on the gummy bear situation. Not sure what my problem is with them… but I will eat them fresh/stale/otherwise. I manage a pretty healthy diet, except for gummy bears!
Happy weekend to you! I am so down with the non-work related/non-internet reading. Books are beautiful things.
And they go well with biscuits.
I’m totally agree, but sometimes I do your same mistake. When we are too tired we need a proper break, otherwise our work become only a waste of time. I love cinnamon rolls!!!
Have a nice weekend (whenever you want!)
Chiara
Gather inspiration: I like that!
I agree! When I was studying, I found I was more productive if I took a proper break (especially if it involved leaving the house, even for 1hr), rather than half-studying and half-wasting my time on facebook etc.
And I have no idea how I missed the caramelised mushroom and onion biscuit (which I call a scone, being Aussie) recipe?! Must make them now!
Gummy bears and cinnamon rolls. Well that would make the weekend off to a fabulous start! I love both :)
I completely agree with the necessity of a weekend, whether it’s on a wednesday or a saturday. The point is that you deserve time for yourself to do whatever your heart so desires :) enjoy!
enjoy your ‘weekends’, time not-working is definitely important :)
totally right.my weekends are for coffee refills (long and lingering while I catch up with friends)