It figures that as soon as I announce my resolution to blog more frequently and confess to you all that I would like to post once a day – I drop off the grid entirely. This time it didn’t have anything to do with me not having anything to say, but rather, no time to say it. I think it’s safe to say that I have managed to lose the balance in my life.
About two weeks ago, I was given a new assignment at work in addition to my current one which effectively almost doubled my work load. Every day has been exciting, challenging, intimidating, rewarding, but most of all… busy! Lately, I’ve been putting in close to 11 hours in every day at the office. Not getting home until almost 8 p.m. has left very little time in the day for me to have a normal life outside of work.
Now, before you get too concerned that I’ve gone off the crazy-workaholic-deep-end, I should explain that I don’t think this craziness is permanent. I’m having to put in the extra hours now as I spend time coming up to speed on my new assignment, but I expect this to only be temporary. Also, my bank account is thanking me for the overtime money right now. Flying home for Christmas plus the cost of boarding the fur babies was expensive! Earning some extra moola right now is definitely not a bad thing.
Since things in my life are currently so out of whack and I’m sure many of you experience your own loss of balance in your life, I thought it’d be fun to share what I think I’m doing right and wrong in my situation.
Right:
Every morning, I start with a Green Monster. In the mix is typically two large handfuls of spinach, a frozen banana, an Emergen-C packet, almond milk, orange juice, and ice. I feel like Superwoman after drinking this. I’m not sure if it’s the spinach or the Emergen-C, but my green monster helps me feel ready to take on the world.
Wrong:
Every afternoon, I’ve been having a (diet) soda… sometimes two. I went for a solid 3-4 months with barely having any soda; however, it seems to have found a permanent spot back in my life and I’m not happy about it. Every afternoon between 2 – 3 p.m., I hit a slump where I feel like I could fall asleep at my desk. Soda seems to be the only thing can wake me up. I hate the idea of how much caffeine and artificial sweetener I’m consuming. Also, I’m having some trouble falling asleep right away at night. Which leads me into my next topic…
Right:
I’m getting 7 – 8 hours of sleep every night. I’ve been trying to keep an early bed time to ensure that I’m getting enough rest. There are times that I will start to have an internal debate with myself over whether I should go to bed or stay up and try to accomplish something like blog writing. But I know that getting a proper night’s rest is the only thing that is going to keep my healthy and sane for the next day, so eventually my bed wins me over.
Wrong:
Keeping up with my relationships has taken a back seat to my work schedule. I usually talk to my parents on a pretty regular basis, but haven’t been able to call home all week. I also usually haven’t been able to keep my normal chat schedule with some of my close friends. The worse was Tuesday night where I had to skip my phone call with Mister E to stay at work. 
Right:
I’ve been keeping my morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack healthy. It may sound boring, but my favorite oatmeal works out really well as a lunch. It’s easy to pack and heat up, it’s quick and easy to eat, plus it keeps me feeling full. Snacks have been whatever is quick and easy to grab on my way out the door. I’ve been bringing clementines, carrot muffins, pumpkin scones, and nuts like the ones seen in my purse.
Wrong:
A conventional dinner is becoming a bit of a foreign concept to me. I’ve been staying at the office until past dinner time meaning I’ve been getting hungry while I’m still at my desk. The smart thing for me to do would be to pack myself a dinner to bring. But since I’m not always the smartest cookie in the box, I’ve been raiding the snack bar for dinner. This means chips and chocolate and other unmentionables that should never be counted as a real meal. It’s pretty atrocious and I need to change this trend ASAP.
Right and Wrong:
Every evening, I’ve been taking Prince for a 20 – 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. I’ve been feeling super guilty about leaving my little guy at home for such a long period during the day that I’m trying to make up for it by giving him some exercise. I’d like to see myself getting more fitness into my schedule, but going for a half hour walk isn’t bad with all things considered, so I’m going to give myself credit on this one.
Wow, working these long hours has made this past week feel like an eternity. I don’t want to complain though, because truthfully, I’m really enjoying my work at the moment. It’s strange to enjoy it enough that I’m willing to let it take over my life, but like I said, this should only be temporary. At least it better be because there are only so many more days that I can last on just green monsters and oatmeal!
Question:
Have you had moments in your life where you’ve lost the balance? How long did it last? What did you do right or wrong during that time?
wow! thinks are VERY busy for you.. but like you said its only temporary… and i think its great you are able to weight out the pros and cons.. !
Man, it must be that time of year. I hear you! My job has been nuts and it puts some serious limits on how much you can do with the time that is left. I love me some soda, too! I’ve actually started drinking seltzer waters (which takes care of that craving for something fizzy), and then I’ve been grabbing a quick veggie snack (often when I’m tired, I’m actually hungry–my body literally needs some fuel) or I’ll go into my work stairwell and jog up and down a flight of stairs for a couple minutes. Nothing wakes me up like getting my blood pumping!
I like the stairwell idea! I’m on the 5th floor, so no reason that I can’t get a little stair-stepper action in!
Hi I just found your blog and *snap* I’ve been struggling with the same issues. Only it’s not a time of year thing but on going. I’m still figuring out what I do right and wrong, but you’ve inspired me to start making a list of things on either side – it might give me some clarity.
I hope that helps! I found that writing out what I wasn’t doing well helped me come up with specific things that I could do to improve. I’ve been avoiding all snack areas and vending machines this week!
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