lol

Snacking is my weakness. Or, forgetting to eat at all. Either way, not very healthy. I WISH I could sleep in late, but both my boys are dawn wakers. Cruel.

<abbr>Sally, Snappy Sentences’s last blog post..Bullet blunders</abbr>

Hmmm, mostly not my vices – that's what I'm telling myself anyway!

I drink less coffee now I'm working at home. When I was working corporate, I'd get a coffee to be sociable every time the others did. Ended up drinking about eight cups a day! On my own I drink two – one when I first get up and the second mid morning. If I meet a client or friend outside home then I might add a third cup in.

Sleeping late – well sometimes. I get up at 6.00am, no choice when I have child to get on a bus by 8.00! A sleep in here is 7.00am and that includes today, Mother's day! I do tend to get stuck on twitter and Facebook in the evenings though, and sometimes realise it's midnight and I'm still on the computer. I pay for that the next day too. Very hard to do good work when you're exausted.

Meals I do ok on. I don't eat over my laptop very often, and don't snack much either. That's just me, it's not something that tempts me.

Smoking – can't stand it. Hate the smell of it.

ADD – well, I have actual ADD already so add anything into the mix and you have my last few weeks…. Ouch.

Pressure. Ouch again. Live my life under pressure! Setting earlier deadlines doesn't help, because I know they're not real. I HAVE to schedule everything, or it just falls off my radar. I've been known to schedule time with my hubby and child if I was really busy for a few days. I actually schedule in a reminder to go and cook dinner! And work, I schedule in everything, time to plan things out, time to write drafts, time to review and post. Generally it works.

On the plus side, working at home for myself has been really good for me in that I can now fit running into my schedule. So it's actually a lot healthier for me than working outside the home!

Now, you just mentioned something on twitter about back pain… Uh, yeah…. got that bad….

<abbr>Melinda’s last blog post..Is Your Business Real or are You Just Playing?</abbr>

@ Sally – I can sleep in if I want since I don't have children yet Snacking is my weakness too! But I tend to eat fruit so that's still healthy. My meals suffer as a result though.

@ Mel – That's 3 out of six. Not bad. But your pressure situation sounds serious! In all the scheduling, are you able to find time for yourself apart from running?

I hope your back pain gets better soon. Avoid running till then!

The funny thing is that running seems to help it. Sitting makes it worse. Pressure, meh…. It's managable pressure, I get bored easily. Not going to get ulcers any time soon!

<abbr>Melinda’s last blog post..The B.S. Funnel</abbr>

Not endless cups. Two cups. TWO. Alright, so they're not really cups, they're those oversized mugs and yes, I make jet-fuel, mud-thick coffee, but… okay, YES, fine, YES, I know! *cries*

Sleeping late: Um, no. Not a problem here, considering I usually awake before the sun and ask it what took it so long when it deigns to show its face. The reason why this happens is very simple: I actually go to bed at a normal hour instead of staying up past midnight.

Eating/working: Okay, the worst is when your keyboard jams and you're TRYING to press the damned CTL key and it JUST WON'T WORK and you have to lift your keyboard and give it a good side-to-side shake so that the crumb gets out of there and your keys work again.

Smoking: I smoke. I also haven't smoked indoors in years. Which means that if I want to smoke, I have to actively break from what I'm doing, get up and go outside, rain or shine. Which is time away from what I'm doing, which I hate, so I have a few puffs and that's that. So smoking, but light smoking.

ADD – Clinically diagnosed, requires coping skills, yet mild enough that those are all I need.

But I will say one thing: You cannot give yourself ADD. You can create bad habits and behavioral patterns and heighten your own stress, but you can no more give yourself ADD than you can give yourself Alzheimer's by forgetting too often. And having ADD is way more than having a short attention span, so… yeah.

Performance under pressure: Love it.

<abbr>James Chartrand – Men with Pens’s last blog post..Are you Killing or Creating Comment Conversation?</abbr>

@ Mel – I have this image of you standing by your work desk, jogging and typing at the same time

@ James – Just so you know, I haven't had coffee in 5 months. FIVE!!! Have always been a tea lover but have been reducing that as well. Water it is for me these days.

Sleeping late is a huge problem for me. One I created for myself that I need to work on. Feel free to poke fun of me and make me cry about it.

The only way my husband would let me use his laptop when I started freelancing was if I swore not to eat while working. He absolutely hates dirty keyboards and is finicky about the finger marks too!

ADD – was a tongue in cheek thing James. *hands you your second humongous cup of mud thick coffee*.

Ah yes. Sleeping late. I too am a night owl and I am *not* a morning person. I end up getting to bed around 3am these days. Definitely, definitely not healthy. I really have to break this bad habit.

Eating while working…what's eating?

And I don't have A.D.D I have N.A.D.D

<abbr>Marc – WelshScribe’s last blog post..How To Effectively Manage Your Time</abbr>

Hi Sumar,

Getting up and stretching my legs, doing other things besides being on the computer is my biggest challenge. Often I sit down for ten minutes and before I know it, an hour has passed. I really need to start using a timer.

<abbr>Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..The Secret Is Out – Our Blog Posts Are Not Being Read</abbr>

Hi Samar.

Coffee, YES! European dark roasts, freshly brewed. (I don't think of it as a hazard though — just a habit. )

I don't think sleeping late is a hazard either when you work best at night. I have my clearest mind and most energy in the early mornings to mid afternoons. So I don't sleep late. I feel I have cheated myself if I don't see the sun up. But I sleep early — at night, when you're just getting started.

When I eat, if I'm alone, I read a book. I know — terrible habit to have. But reading a good book is a great treat — and so is lunch! So my keyboard stays clean, but I sometimes get smudgies on the pages of my paperbacks.

Don't smoke. Did in college but quit before graduation. So that's not an issue.

But ADD? What artist of any sort doesn't have a zillion creative ideas running through his/her brain at once? And the more we engage in a "project" the more our brains spin through dozens of related or alternative possibilities. Art (writing included) is a matter of solving problems. Taking an idea and working through it in whatever art form we use. Then as we work, we draw little mind maps (coined by ProBlogger) and we want to pursue those! ADD comes with the territory, I think.

Pressure — goes with the ADD. I don't like it… pull my hair out sometimes and want to just go hide (with that book and lunch) but somehow work through it and come out the other side feeling good.

Those are mine.

Thanks for letting me think this through. That was fun.

<abbr>Barb Hartsook’s last blog post..Why Does an Artist Paint? Or a Writer Write?</abbr>

You say "coffee" like it's NOT the beverage of the gods and the basis for all that is worth worshiping. Surely you jest!

Smoking? Ick. Never have tried it, never will. Ick.

Sleeping late? Pardon me while I burst into hysterical laughter – getting up "late" for me is 5am.

It IS quite character-building, I'll tell you that.

<abbr>Barbara Ling, Virtual Coach’s last blog post..Choices of Young Adults</abbr>

Wow! I have 3 Barbara's to reply to Sorry about the use of full names guys, it would get confusing otherwise.

@ Barbara Swafford – I had all these grand plans of starting pilates so my joints won't rust hunched in one position. Like you, I only remember it after a few hours have gone past.

@ Barb Hartsook – Don't tell anyone but I watch TV while eating. It's how I got addicted to Grey's Anatomy. I thrive under pressure but I prefer to avoid it. It leaves me feeling completely drained afterwards.

@ Barbara Ling – Lol! That's the best defence against coffee I've come across I tried smoking once, I felt like I was drowning when I tried to inhale. Never touched it again.

5 am?!?! I am officially jealous!

First, hello to the fellow Barbara ladies!

Coffee: Yes. Strong, with cream, and keep it coming

Sleeping late: Alas, no. Up at 3:45 am for the day job, home around 5 pm if lucky.

Eating/Working: Well, yeah. Grated cheese hardens and really hurts if you jam it under your fingernail trying to hit Tab.

Smoking: Last month I went from a pack a day to 2 packs a week and now only smoke at the crazy job. I have to be quit by May 22 for surgery. So, of course, the eating/working thing is much worse now, lol.

ADD: Yup. Dunno what James takes/does for it meds iz good here.

Pressure: Yuck. I get enough of that during the day. I recently gave my doctor orders for when they cart me to the looney bin. It won't be long now…

HUG, Sumar!

Wow…TMI?

<abbr>B J Keltz’s last blog post..Uplifting</abbr>

I drink so much coffee it should be illegal, but alas, I haven't slept in past 8 a single time since my children were born. My son wakes up at 5:30 religiously. At least I get to write in the still of the morning. : > )

<abbr>Writer Dad’s last blog post..6 Secrets Every Writer Shares</abbr>

@ B J – Whoa, a fourth Barbara! And most definitely NOT tmi. And I'm sure you'll be showing the looney bin your backside for many many years! Relax, keep writing and when work becomes too stressful, think of all the fun writing is.

@ Writer Dad – 5 30?! Yikes. Some times, I go to sleep at that time. But then I don't have children yet. My carefree freelance equation will change completely with an addition of a wailing two legged offspring that poops and burps out milk

Hey S!

I loved this post! It's an interesting perspective, but I beg to differ that it is not restricted to freelancers only!

I work a "9-5" job, but have always been productive on teh scales which you have talked about above. My countless cups of coffee can be swapped for Starbucks frapaccino, although I dont smoke, I am a chocoholic, I love eating and working at the same time (because who would want to waste that 15 minutes over lunch?!

Finally, under pressure or while working on hitting a deadline, I am more logical and have a greater sense of direction and decision making than at any time else.

I think the traits are those of people who work hard, or those who understand responsibilities, and know what failure and success bring with them!

<abbr>Cookie Monster’s last blog post..Charity:Water</abbr>

Occupational health professionals must manage the complexities of medical surveillance. They have to record employee health data from workplace injuries and illnesses, clinic visits, immunizations, audiometric exams, flu clinics, wellness programs, and lab tests. And, it’s not enough to just collect the data: They must be able to report on it in multiple formats. OHS software is essential to a company.