Running out of time

Do you ever feel like you’ve got so much to do that you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off? Sometimes I have so much crammed into my day that I just want to curl up in a ball and weep openly.

 

I recently started a new job, and I’m also a college student….and I like to get in about an hour of exercise a day. I don’t have a family to look after or anything like that, but I know that feeling of drowning in your day. I had to learn quickly how to manage my busy schedule or I wasn’t going to make it at all…and I’m pretty sure most of you know exactly how I felt.

 

First thing’s first…you’re going to want to give up pretty much every day. I don’t know how many times I’ve decided I’ll just be dumb, fat and poor, but then that pesky little common sense steps in and ruins my pity party. So annoying. So, I had to think of other ways to make my life easier.

 

I started writing down everything I had to do each week, split up into individual days, and, more often than not, I was surprised to see that I didn’t have as much to do as I thought I did! By writing it down I also made sure I didn’t forget anything. I always like to get cute little notebooks(currently I’m sporting a vintage mickey mouse journal! Yay!) I mean, who said organization has to be boring?

 

Along with making a to-do list, I’ve also had to work at getting rid of my frankly worrying habit for procrastination. Seriously. It’s pretty bad. The biggest problem I was having with cramming everything I needed to do in just 24 short hours was, well, I was spending a good number of those hours not doing anything productive. I’m not saying that breaks are bad or that you need to go go go all the time, but I was spending too much time watching TV, or something equally useless. Basically, don’t leave it for later, because later quickly becomes never. It’s like what your mom always said, “Clean as you go!” or was that just MY mom? Ah well, you still get the point.

 

This next tip was something I still have a hard time with. Sometimes you have to say “No”. I know, I know. But don’t get out the pitch forks just yet. Remember, we’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and, let’s face it. We’re not going to spend all 24 hours crossing off stuff on our to-do list. So, foul as it may seem, I had to train myself to realize my limits, and to never go past them, which meant sometimes I couldn’t do everything I wanted to, but in the words of a wise lady called my mom, “There’s always more”. She calls this her e-bay method. Seriously. I think she needs to write a book of one-liners. She could make millions and then I wouldn’t need a job, and wouldn’t have to use any of these tips!

 

Something that goes along with this is realizing you may not be able to do all the things you’ve planned for each day. Ideally, I would like to work out for an hour or more every day. But sometimes that just isn’t going to happen, no matter how early I get up. So I modify my plan, and maybe work out for half an hour. But each day is going to be different. Saturday I barely squeezed in 20 minutes, but today I had enough time to devote that entire hour! As much as managing my life requires structure and discipline, I also have to remember to play it by ear and understand my priorities. If I had taken an entire hour on Saturday to work out, that would mean sacrificing homework time, which, frankly, is more important to me. Ya see?

 

Anywho, I come now to my last tip. Get ready, because it’s massively profound. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF. Boom. I’m talking to you, moms! I know you have a bit of a control problem and you just feel more comfortable doing it yourself. At least you know it was done right! But you’re only human, and sometimes you need to act like one. Chances are you’ve got a kid or a husband who will take those library books back if you just ask them. Hypothetically. I understand that this will be really hard for most of you. Trust me. I am a HUGE control freak, and I get fidgety when I have to let someone else do something for me…but you know what? More things get done and the world doesn’t end! Which means less stress over how much is left to do at the end of every day!

 

This may have been a rambling bunch of nonsense to many of you, but these things really helped me make the most of every day, and I hope it helps you a little too!