Do You Have A Schedule, or a Life?

Talking to my good friend Allison (humorette of last post), we were discussing being exhausted. As in, tired beyond to-the-bone, and no end in sight unless we drop something which, as overachieving twenty-somethings, we are loathe to do because tv and magazines and our own fickle brains tell us we must do it all. Allison, for instance, not only works full time as a higher education PR pro, she is also a member of the Junior League and helps run their Horse Show in Lexington, which is a BFD, has graduate classes two days a week, goes to a knitting group, has a book group, just hit her 17-month anniversary with her man (congrats, by the way), has family commitments (her fam lives semi-locally) and is generally on-call for work as well. (I am sure there is more, but you get the idea.) And just where, may I ask, is she supposed to fit in fixing nutritious (or even semi-nutritious) meals, grocerying, general errands (like yarn-purchasing!), general cleaning of her living space, blowing off steam, and other life-enhancing stuff?


The answer is likely to drop something so she can remain sane.


I find myself much in the same boat as Allison, where we believe in the equation (and I am stealing this from one of our IM chats where Allison stated this):


achievement = winning = happy


And I think she's right. I feel utterly 'unproductive' and like a drain on the universe if I'm not 'doing' something, crossing something off a list. Why? I can freely admit my mom is not like this. Now, my mom remains wickedly busy, but she doesn't choose to schedule her life to kill herself.


I decided to take a look at what my own personal schedule looks liek for this semester, starting, um, Monday. And I'm a little taken aback, despite my love of being busy:



Sunday

  • 12:00am - 6:00am: 2nd job at gym

  • 6:00am - 7:30am - work out

  • SLEEP

  • 3:00pm - 7:00pm: MA and MFA coursework

  • 8:00pm+ I predict: vegetation



Monday

  • 8:00am - 5:00pm: Work

  • Run home to feed/let out dogster

  • 6:30pm - 8:00pm: Gym workout


Tuesday

  • 8:00am - 5:00pm: Work

  • Run home to feed/let out dogster

  • 6:30pm - 8:00pm: Gym workout with trainer


Wednesday

  • 7:30 - 5:00pm: Work

  • (On lunch: Run home to feed/let out dogster)

  • 5:30 - 8:00pm: Graduate English class 1 (MA)


Thursday

  • 8:00am - 5:00pm: Work

  • (On lunch: Run home to feed/let out dogster)

  • 5:30 - 8:00pm: Graduate English class 2 (MA)


Friday

  • 7:30 - 4:30pm: Work

  • (Run home to feed/let out dogster)

  • 5:45pm - 7:30pm: Gym workout with trainer

  • 10:00pm - 12:00am: 2nd job at gym


Saturday

  • 12:00am - 6:00am: 2nd job at gym

  • SLEEP

  • 12:00pm - 3:00pm: Errands (groceries, etc)

  • 4:00pm - 7:00pm: MFA work, MA homework

  • 10:00pm - 12:00am: 2nd job at gym


Rinse. Repeat. Shoot me in the face.


Now, the work stuff is a little flexible on certain days where I don't have class - I may need to come in earlier or stay later on occasion, since it looks like instruction is going to be wicked busy this semester. Also, I am well aware that it is my *choice* to go to the gym (though I would be a wreck without that chance to blow off steam), and that it is my *choice* to have a second job (though some of my credit card companies might dispute the "choice" factor there). I manage to slip in reading after 8:00pm on class and gym days, so there's more homework and coursework going on that's not actually in the schedule, since I usually stay up until about 10pm.

Hrm. I am coming to the conclusion - as a woman who sort of knows my limitations, and those of my dog who requires attention - that this schedule may be slightly untenable. Kee-rap. Well, we'll see. If the gym asks me to do more than 2 nights a week, I am going to have to decline, and they might be mad. But I'm not sure I could physically do it. (Note: I suck at saying no because I hate to disappoint.)


Never mind all of my complaints about not dating, y'all. I wouldn't know where to pencil him in. And I don't have a knitting group. Or a book club. *sigh*


Edit: Gym job schedule has been rearranged so that I am only working Friday and Saturday nights, which should be some relief.

Comments

Allison said…
I think we both need a little Oooohm Relaxation. Tonight for me I will be putting several things together: boyfriend time, knitting a sock and hopefully drinking many refreshing ciders.

And hey, at least tomorrow I'm going to visit a wool farm.
3:43 PM
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