My precious! They took it!

So last night, as TYG was out late at a business function, I decided, as I sometimes do, to work late myself. That way if she got back late (she didn’t) I’d have no qualms sleeping late and missing a couple of hours in the morning.
As it turned out I got to bed regular hours but I’d done enough extra I felt I could comfortably take off at lunch and watch a DVD. Only today, for various reasons, that didn’t work out. Instead I decided I’d work through lunch (except for a bicycle trip) and quit early.
That should have worked.
It didn’t.
I suppose not taking a normal lunch break just made my brain balk and slow down (“I can keep working or—ooh, read a blog!”). So my ninety minutes off dwindled to about 25 minutes by the time I finished (so I suppose that technically, I took my own precious, as it were). It’s good to take a break.
Still, I’m pleased that I lost goof-off time rather than work. I was productive!
But that does put me in mind of something I’ve noticed lately. While my current daily schedule certainly keeps my productivity up, it doesn’t leave me with much time to get non-work stuff done. I don’t mean doctor’s appointments or the occasional contractor—I carve out a chunk of the work day for them—but little stuff. Calling to schedule a contractor. Cleaning. Managing stuff for Mum. Getting a haircut. Odds and ends that need to be done and aren’t.
So next week I’m just going to pick a day off and take it (I may do some fiction, nothing more). I’ll devote it to multiple different errands, including mail, cleaning, haircut, etc. The month’s gone well enough it’s not going to hurt my bottom line and I suspect it’ll be much easier than trying to take 15 minutes here and there.
We shall see.