I don’t get motion sickness. Well, not easily. It’s more something that can only happen under quite specific circumstances. I can read for hours in the car, or even write by hand or laptop or phone. If I’ve just eaten a large meal before heading into the car, it could be a different story, but generally speaking I can go long distances before feeling the slightest bit of queasiness.

It’s been this way for a long time. Perhaps sitting in the back of the car with a laptop is not the safest way to travel, for example, but I’m often obsessed with the idea of getting as much work cramped into a period of time as possible.

This doesn’t mean that I’m always working, or even always busy, per se. It means that I am often looking for efficiencies in my life… whether I need them or not.

If I decide to head somewhere on the train, for example, I suddenly find myself obsessed with the idea of taking as many writing materials with me as I need to get through my latest project. I’ll have a backpack with my laptop, a small mouse, reference books (when writing Dungeons and Dragons content, for example), headphones, a water bottle, and a portable phone charger.

It’s actually far easier for me to write at home. I don’t need to take all of this stuff with me, so wouldn’t it make more sense for me to work at home and relax on the train? Yes. Probably.

I’m someone who’s accustomed to saying yes to a lot of people. It’s a habit I’ve tried to work my way out of, particularly over the course of the last five years or so of my life. It has its merits, but is not particularly healthy all the time. I used to stretch myself quite thin a lot of the time, but I’m now feeling far healthier.

I’ve got a good work/life balance, good self-esteem, and I’m feeling more capable of standing up for myself and my integrity. I try not to sweat the little things. I haven’t updated my blog in a bit… that’s okay, I’ve been stewing up a lot of great ideas. I haven’t cleaned my room in… a long time. That’s okay, I know I’ll get the motivation when someone special comes to visit.

It takes time to really get to know someone, but how many of us really spend a lot of time getting to know ourselves? I know a lot of my strengths and weaknesses now. I know that I will put off writing a blog post as much as I can, but the moment I sit down, I can write it all out in less than half an hour. They say that knowledge is power, so knowing yourself makes you powerful.

I know that I’m often in a good zone for writing when I’m on the train, or when I’m out in the car. When I feel even remotely stuck, I know that the area outside my vehicle is always changing, and shifting, and helps my own mind to move. I’ll still write at home, but there’s something different about writing when out and about. There’s a sense of urgency that I know spurs me on.

You might not be able to write in the car, but ask yourself… isn’t there a place that’s right for you?