I have to admit it. I totally had spring fever yesterday. I had an open window of about three hours to work yesterday afternoon, and I did not get three hours worth of work done.

Part of the problem is it was a beautiful day (85 degrees, here in Central Texas) and I was trying to sit outside to work. It’s just hard to keep your fingers on the keyboard on a day so beautiful! Especially since it’s been cold and overcast for so many days in row.

Part of the problem is I’d been working really hard since mid-last week, and you can only push out so many words before you just want a break.

And part of the problem is I knew I was having dinner with a group of writer friends last night, so I was eager to just go play.

It doesn’t help that yesterday morning, I had a major eureka moment about my work in progress, so I told myself I needed “simmer” time. That last excuse is the most legitimate of the bunch. If I’ve just figured out something major about my characters or my story, I need time to let it filter through my brain, to let the new ideas marinate a bit with the story so the flavors can develop.

Still, I know I’ll be back at work today, because I have a book due in less than a month and I can’t afford another day off. But, yesterday … yesterday was nice. I took just a few pages of notes about my eureka moment, then I took a walk and even went and got a pedicure. This is not like me. Yes, I am a procrastinator by nature. Despite that, I have a strong work ethic when it comes to writing. If I have pages to do, I get them done, even if I have to stay up late to do them.

I’m hoping that today, spring fever will be gone, banished like the plague it is. That when I sit down at the keyboard, the words will just flow and that my afternoon off will serve me well and that I’ll come to my book renewed and energized. Or at the very least, panicked and desperate.

What do you do to treat yourself on days off? Share your favorite way to pamper yourself and I’ll pick three people to win one of my books.