Long Time, No Talk!
Posted by: Eva on: October 11, 2008
(Note from Eva: this post has not much to do with books…it’s more like a therapy session. A stream-of-conscience therapy session. Just warning you now!)
Coming to you live from a break in my International Refugee Law & Policy workshop (definitely my favourite so far!)…
I haven’t read at all this week. At least not fun reading. Not even a bloody short story.
This stems from my lack of time management. In September, I had a lot of free time, and I was quite often bored. So I developed several important procrastination techniques. Now in October, I don’t have any spare time, but it’s difficult to break myself of the procrastination habits!!
Meanwhile, I have moments of utter panic where it seems like I can’t possibly fit in everything I want to. So, I’m going to list it all here and try to figure out what’s important, what’s not, and where things go…not a minute-by-minute schedule. Just a list of priorities so that I spend twenty minutes here and there doing something important to be, rather than wasting time virtual window shopping!
On the school front, I really want to spend more time working on Russian. One of the main reasons I came here was to improve my language abilities, and while I do the classwork, I really need to put more effort into it to see the achievements I was hoping for. Meanwhile, I also am working twenty hours a week: while it’s in my field, and I love all of the stuff I’m learning, that’s a lot of hours to fit in. Especially since we’re mainly supposed to be there from 9-5; that’s only forty hours in which to find twenty. Then, I have memos due in a different class, and the professor said to think of each assignment here as part of building up your career portfolio. How I’m supposed to make a group memo good enough to want to show future employers beats me, but for my individual one I would love to do a really wonderful job.
Health-wise, I have to take the time to plan meals, go grocery shopping, and cook. If I don’t eat a well-balanced diet, I get sick. I also have to try to find time to do yoga: ideally, an hour every day, but I’ll settle for four days a week. And then there’s that whole sleep thing: I can manage seven hours, but less than that for more than a couple days and I get sick.
Professionally speaking, I have to start researching internships for next summer! One of the ones I’m looking at has an deadline of November 3rd, so I need to start filling out an application and all that stuff. Also, I need to be studying for the Foreign Service test. And keeping up with the news, including reading The Economist every week, which ties into the test and also just into who I want to be.
Then there’s the personal front. I’ve now been on my third date with O, which was another really fun one, and we actually kissed at the end of it! While this is exciting, it’s also one more thing that sucks time out of my week. And of course I want to have time to just hang out with my roommate and my other friends here: either at a party or out for a meal to catch up, etc. And I need some quiet, alone time: to read, to blog, to read other blogs.
Oh, and then there’s the little time-sucks in each day: getting ready for the day, cleaning my room, doing the dishes, driving around…
So I think you see my dilemma. How do I balance work, school, professional progress, a boy, friends, my health, and still manage to stay sane?! How to I decide what my highest priorities should be? I’m sure I’ll figure it out, but right now it just seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Any advice/stories from all of you much more experienced people are more than welcome! Because my mini-panic-attacks are just exhausting.
18 Responses to "Long Time, No Talk!"
2 | Bookfool, aka Nancy
October 11, 2008 at 4:22 pm
I’ve never figured that out, myself. But, I wish you luck! I was better at balancing things when I was young.
3 | Andi
October 11, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Yep, been there. Been there a lot, but it’s hard to give advice. For me it was just a matter of taking advantage of my most productive times of day and setting aside certain days to do important-for-me things like exercise, etc. You’ll figure it out. The first semester of grad school is always the hardest. It’s emotionally and mentally (and physically) draining, but it seems like after you have one under your belt, the others become much more manageable.
[...] Random Feed wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptPosted by: Eva on: October 11, 2008 In: *Personal Comment! (Note from Eva: this post has not much to do with books…it’s more like a therapy session. A stream-of-conscience therapy session. Just warning you now!) Coming to you live from a break in my International Refugee Law & Policy workshop (definitely my favourite so far!)… I haven’t read at all this week. At least not fun reading. Not even a bloody short story. This stems from my lack of time management. In September, I had a lot of [...]
5 | softdrink
October 11, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Now I feel bad for sending you an extra book. However, they are short stories, which means they might fit into the whole time management issue a little easier. 
I think you need to keep in mind that this is only month two. It’ll take time to discover your rhythym and how to fit everything together. And although it may sound like you’ve got a lot on your plate (actually, you do have a lot on your plate), at least you are well-balanced (school, work, health, relationships, fun).
6 | katrina
October 12, 2008 at 4:15 am
Just enjoy it. I always set myself targets when school and my studying gets busy, and I find if I do tell myself I have only 2 hrs to do something rather than the whole evening I waste a lot less time on all those distracting bits.
Explain to the boy that you like him but can only see him once or twice a week, and just keep it cool and simple. Wish I had boy worries to fit into my life!
7 | katrina
October 12, 2008 at 4:17 am
Nearly forgot the most impt thing, I always go to bed half an hour earlier than I need to so I can read, and have some me time.
8 | Becky
October 12, 2008 at 5:28 am
Good luck with that! 6 months into commuting and I’m still trying to get the balance right. But from the lessons I’ve learned, I’d say accept that you can’t do it all at the same time, and don’t kill yourself trying. So don’t try to find more time for Russian while you also have a short-term deadline (applying for internships) on the horizon. Do one, then think about the other. And I think The Economist podcasts, so maybe you could listen to it while driving round. But in the midst of scheduling remember to keep time for you to do whatever you want!
9 | mariel
October 12, 2008 at 9:12 am
Sounds like you’ve planned it all out! I tend to wing it far too often when I’m busy, which is probably why I never get anything done! So best of luck with everything. I hope you have some time in there for some relaxing and fun!!
10 | Debi
October 12, 2008 at 9:31 am
Oh Eva, my heart goes out to you! I wish I had some advice, but I’m afraid I really don’t. I’m in one of those “life periods” myself, where it’s an actual physical impossibility to get done all the things I “need” to. Yeah, the “need” is the problem…how to figure out what can slide and what can’t. I have breakdowns on a fairly regular basis these days. Just yesterday Rich found me a heaping, sobbing mess. Homeschooling is just killing me. Anyway, I don’t mean to be whining about myself here. But I did want you to know that I’m sending you HUGE HUGS! I have no doubt whatsoever that you’ll get it all figured out. Not that life will be all smooth-sailing, of course, since that’s not how life works. But I know you’ll get those priorities figured out, and that you’ll come up with strategies to help keep your sanity. On top of everything though, take care of YOU!
11 | Megan
October 12, 2008 at 11:49 am
Wish I was better qualified to offer some advice, but it happens that I’m particularly dismal at maintaining any sort of balance in my life. So, to some extent I’m sure I know how you feel!
I guess, I’d say that if you had to pick one thing not to let slip, it would be your health because hey, if you’re not relatively well-rested and healthy, all the rest of that stuff goes down the tubes anyhow, right? So give priority to the things that will keep you healthy, and then I guess you’ll have to pick and choose from the rest because as nice as it is to do everything, it’s mostly impossible. Sometimes it helps me to look at my life and ask myself which things are actually “have-tos” and which things I’ve made into have-tos because I have wildly unfair/unattainable expectations of myself that I can’t let go of (i.e. I don’t *really* have to write a book review this week, but I do pretty much have to get 8 hours of sleep a night or I’ll get sick or at least not be able to stand living in my own grumpy presence). So I guess the sage advice of this wildly unbalanced book blogger is to take a step back to have a look and see which have-tos are really have-tos and do those things. The other things you’ll simply need to choose to get to when you have the time.
Oh, and forget about staying sane – that’s just not even possible! Embrace your insanity!
12 | Tara
October 12, 2008 at 12:40 pm
It sounds as though you have a lot on your plate Eva. Thinking back to when I was in college hmm…well, I really focused on school during the weekdays, and to tell you the truth I didn’t do much reading…I was already reading enough required stuff so I did needlework instead to relax. I wish you luck and am glad you’re still checking in here.
13 | lena
October 13, 2008 at 8:43 am
I know this probably sound silly, but when I dont have enough time to do all of the things I want to do, I combine them. I’ll cook as I’m doing the dishes. I’ll spend time with my boyfriend and we’ll read aloud to each other. I clean and listen to audio-books or literature related podcasts as I’m doing it.
It makes for a multi-tasked life, but I manage to get all of that done, and even squeeze in some homework 
14 | Andi
October 13, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Boy, have I been where you are – in fact, you and I seem to be in the same place – just on opposite coasts.
How’s about a little healthy eating and a yoga accountability? I’ll ask you how your diet and practice are going, and you can do the same for me. Me first – how are your diet and practice going?
15 | verbivore
October 15, 2008 at 8:13 am
Boy do I see myself in the list making! I am coming to this post a bit late but wanted to at least say that as I’ve come to ‘read’ who you are through your posts, I see an incredibly capable and intelligent young woman with a lot on her plate but who enjoys the intellectual stimulation of all those projects you listed above. I’m sure you’ll figure it out – even if panic attacks intervene from time to time. Some time they help us hit the reset button, force us to make the right lists and then step out into the fray once again. Good luck – the next two years will fly right by.
16 | Daphne
October 15, 2008 at 3:31 pm
Yay! Happy date news! And i concur with everyone else — the next two years will fly by and then you’ll be on your way. And definitely keep your health up — you know I know how important that is! And, have some fun too (oh right, you ARE! Miss Date Girl!)
17 | Susan
October 18, 2008 at 7:25 am
Me, too, I came to this late – it is overwhelming at first, but it will sort itself out – you are more than capable and bright enough – and cheers to dating too, which is probably what has thrown you off – unplanned romance! tee hee 
18 | trish
October 27, 2008 at 9:53 am
Holy moly! I think I might be dizzy. 
I don’t have any advice, except that unfortunately you won’t have much down time. To get all that stuff done, you’ll have to really plan out your days. I’m sure you got some good suggestions in the comments…I just want to tell you, It will end!
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In Loving Memory
October 11, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Do what I’ve always done: forget the cleaning the room, doing the dishes, etc., stuff and just enjoy your classwork and spend more time with your friends and the boy (that’s what you’ll most remember later in life, and what you’ll most regret not doing if you don’t).