How do you do it?
Years ago, I won’t
say how many, I went to nursing school. And while I was going I was blown away
by my fellow classmates. Many had full time jobs, kids, farms. I was newly
married, no kids, and only worked between seven and twelve hours a week. No
biggie, right? Wrong. Nursing school sucked. I have no idea how those women did
it.
And here I am again.
This week I’m working a nine to five job. I volunteer at a local crisis
pregnancy center and they’ve decided to go medical, so to utilize my skills as
a nurse, I needed additional training. Only a week. No biggie, right? Wrong. I’ve
barely been getting the bare minimum done around my house, let alone write. So
my question for all you full timers out there is this: How do you do it?
I stand in awe of
you.
We just figure out a way to juggle it all. I work full time, but I don't have kids, so I'm in awe of those who can do it with kids.
ReplyDeleteI edit 3/4 time for an employer and write and freelance my other hours. I'd say the few things that help me stay on top of the chores are:
ReplyDelete--delegate where you can
--prioritize; you need the kitchen functioning, not pristine closets
--crock pot meals rock!
--only do full loads of laundry
--a daily, twenty-minute speed tidy in common areas helps a ton
--schedule certain tasks (kitchen floor Weds, bathrooms Sat.)
--do chores when you have energy, so wake early if a morning person
--limit screen time before bed so you actually sleep well. Sleep is your #1 priority when learning new things!
Hang in there, my friend.
I stand it awe as well. BUT, that said, people say the same thing to me. I laugh and say, "I don't a lot of the time." We have seasons of insanity that we have to recognize as just that. When they end, we pick up the pieces and try to assemble a normal life again. It may be a pain, but really, who wants to live bland old life anyway without a few plot twists?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was teaching full time, coaching and running around to athletic events to support my four children, I would do my writing late at night and sometimes while sitting at a ball game. It felt like the only time I sat down was after 10 at night. Went with 5 or 6 hours of sleep for years. I would never have the energy to do that now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes my clients have me writing 14 hours a day...I work from home, though, so I can work in a load of laundry here and there. As I mentioned on my blog earlier this week, I've also discovered online grocery shopping. I just pick it all out on the website, schedule a time, then drive there. They load all the stuff in my trunk and I can come home. I look for little ways like that to save time--having dry cleaning picked up and delivered, etc.? There are things you can outsource to TaskRabbit, too, if you live in a town where that's available. Mostly, though, you have to give up what doesn't really matter, like having your bed made every day or having a clean house!
ReplyDeleteI barely manage my own crazy life. I have no idea how others cram even more into the day. Vampires who don't sleep?
ReplyDelete