For the most part, the clients have entered the quiet zone known as Holiday Shutdown. It’s a blissful and glorious time, the time where I get to spend multiple days getting organized, closing out the current year and looking ahead to new things.
Even though things were quiet today, I found that I was still stuck in the old routine. I started the day with a run, and had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t have to rush home for a conference call or deadline-based task. I did 1.66 miles before it started to drizzle, and decided to cut things short and head home rather than get myself caught in a downpour like I did earlier this month.
Once I got home, I finally took the time to do everything that I haven’t had time to do in months. I cleaned the office, archived client files, shredded paper, followed up on payments, reconciled the books for 2009, priced flights for three conferences and set up a new all-in-one printer/copier/scanner. In the process, I’ve decided that I need a dedicated file room and a completely restructured office that actually features proper bookcases and filing cabinets. It’s not going to happen, but it’s what I need. Santa, are you listening?
Tomorrow’s grand plan: downloading books to my Kindle for holiday vacation reading. I like a nice balance between the often strange Kindle freebies and real literature. I’m leaning toward Wolf Hall and Let the Great World Spin. The Kindle will never replace real books for me, but there’s something utterly liberating about being able to travel with a full library in a device the size of a paperback. It leaves plenty of room for all of the titles that the 3-year-old will want to take, which will undoubtedly include oversized titles like Yertle the Turtle and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I need the full-color, indestructible Seuss Kindle for the kid!