In her book Ten Characteristics of Quality Indexes, Margie Towery recommends taking a nap as a way to boost concentration and attention. Other suggestions include going for a walk, meditation, or yoga. As she puts it, “the trick is to be aware of when your productivity is suffering and then be proactive in finding a remedy.”

This is excellent advice, and one I have been thinking more about recently. While indexing forms the bulk of my work, it is not practical for me to be working all of the time. How I choose to spend my time outside of work can also have an impact on my work hours. 

I am starting to think as some of these other activities as cross-training. This is a concept from sports, in which the athlete trains in two different sports in order to improve overall fitness. The role of the second sport is to support the first. As an indexer I am using my mind and I also do a lot of sitting. So when I think about cross-training, I am looking for ways to both either rest or use my mind in a different way, and to also get out of my chair.

Since the New Year, I have been taking part in a noon-hour circuit training class at the YMCA three days a week. It is 45 minutes of rotating through a series of exercises, which usually results in a full body workout. I have been finding these classes helpful for my indexing in a number of ways:

• Being at noon, and combined with lunch, they provide a good midday break. I find afternoons more enjoyable and, I think, more productive.
• I think I do feel more alert when I am physically fit. 
• Going to the gym provides a bit of social interaction in a day when I am otherwise working alone. There are some other regulars at these classes too. 
• If I am having a bad morning, working out removes me from the situation and gives me a chance to reset and start over in the afternoon. 
• Psychologically, pushing my physical limits in the gym helps me to push past mental blocks I face indexing. Working out provides a boost of confidence that I can transfer to my working life. This is the reason that provides the most incentive when I don’t really want to go.

I also read a lot outside of work for my own enjoyment. This surprises some people, but I do enjoy fiction and have other interests I want to keep on top of. I am also a periodic knitter, which I do partly to engage my brain in a different way. In my ideal world, I would also have access to a sauna, where I could relax and let my mind drift. 

I think there are plenty of options for cross-training as a freelancer. The trick is to find something that is enjoyable and rejuvenating, to keep us focused during the hours when we are working. Because who wants to work all the time? More to the point, who is capable of working all of the time without burning out? Not me, certainly. And so I look to see how else I can use my time.