How to Survive a Sedentary Job
Why hula-hooping makes you work faster
Welcome to Coffee Break Friday, where I write quick life updates and offer tips to new editors.
News
I’m now offering limited-time discounts for indie authors who’ve written projects I would love to edit. Read about it here.
If you’re self-publishing a book in time for Halloween and need your manuscript copyedited at a reduced rate, you’re in luck! Reach out to me before September 15th to discuss your project. Paranormal romances, monster romances, and horror are welcome.
I started an Instagram. You can follow me here.
What I’m Up To
This week, I finished editing a university press book that I really enjoyed, which was partly about the collisions between sustainability goals and capitalism. I also did a manuscript review for a lighthearted romance with great banter.
And after that? I took some much needed time off.
3 Tips for Editors
1: The Listserv
Firstly, if you’re a current or aspiring copyeditor, are you subscribed to the copyeditors’ listserv? You should be. It’s how editors from all around the world stay in touch, ask questions, offer advice, and share their different perspectives.
2: Work Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
A few months ago, someone on the aforementioned listserv brought up the topic of physical health, urging editors to find ways to incorporate exercise into our lives. I don’t remember who wrote the email, unfortunately, or I’d send them a thank-you note. What they said resonated with me: After months of freelancing, I’d started to feel the effects of having a very sedentary job. I was constantly sore and stiff, and my back ached.
That email from a fellow editor helped me prioritize my physical health. Since then, I’ve been finding ways to move my body that are joyous and pain-alleviating. I was concerned it would take away time from editing when I have pressing deadlines, but I’ve found that exercising actually saves me time. I start my work day with more energy and less pain, which helps me focus and edit more quickly and accurately.
3. Let’s Move
One idea for how to exercise: Hula-Hooping. This month I started taking Hula-Hoop classes.
Here’s a great example of stuff I cannot do with a Hula-Hoop (yet):
A Hula-Hoop is so many things:
Aesthetically, it’s cute and retro; it makes me feel like I’m both in a 70s fitness video and a circus act.
Emotionally, it’s a blast—I always have pure, simple fun when I’m hooping.
Logistically, it’s convenient: my Hula-Hoops fit in my office, and I can use them inside when I take breaks during the work day.
Mentally, it’s an enjoyable challenge, similar to solving a Rubix cube or Sudoku. Hooping around your waist and both your arms at the same time takes real mental effort!
And finally, there are meaningful physical benefits. Hula-Hoops can be used to help you stretch, and hooping gives you opportunities to exercise muscles you don’t normally use. Hooping is easy on the joints, making it ideal for folks dealing with arthritis.
Another example of how I don’t look when I’m hooping:
I love Hula-Hoops (can you tell?). They’re affordable, accessible, and the exercises are very easy to modify. Plus-size folks, elderly folks, and disabled folks can all use them. My class has men, women, and children in it, and I’m teaching the exercises to my grandmother, who hoops while sitting in a chair. Hooping is for everyone!
On one of my days off this week, I went to the beach with a friend and four Hula-Hoops. I wasn’t expecting there to be a lot of people around, but it was crowded. We hooped anyway, and passersby got a kick out of it. The joy of the Hula-Hoop is infectious.
Pet Adventures: The Return of the Kittens
Two weeks ago, I visited my friend’s brand-new rescue kittens. I was able to see them again recently. They haven’t grown much physically, but their little personalities have completely transformed. No longer docile and formula-fed, they explore the world with a newfound independence, demanding to be picked up (or let down!) according to their own whims:
Okay, that’s all for this Friday. I hope you’ve all been resting—and moving.
Until next time,
Hannah Varacalli
Copy & Developmental Editor
www.hveditorial.com