Blog #14 Strategies for balance

Multi-tasking is not one of my strong suits, so I have to be extremely organized in order to make life work. I know each day that I work from 8a.m. - 5p.m. so that is automatically on my daily schedule. The hours left in the day plus weekends are the only time I have for school, family and relaxation, therefore I have to plan them also. I started with the first day the syllabus showed up for each of my classes. I immediately put on the calendar when each assignment was due in each class so that I could make sure I never got behind. Procrastination is the enemy of a balanced life. I feel this semester was very successful for me because when I did have a little extra time I worked ahead in my classes which gave me time for a few extra things like spending a whole weekend with my sons who visited from Houston and I actually bought a new home and moved during this semester while still working full time. I am very lucky that my children are grown, so that gives me more time to devote to school, but I still have to add time for me. It is most important to eat healthy, exercise and get plenty of rest when juggling so many responsibilities. All of these things had to be scheduled also, like exercise is something that happens during lunch, when I can run to the gym for 45 minutes each day. As much as I live by my calendar though, the only way to keep from being super stressed is to remember that sometimes my life and my schedule don't work the way I planned, so I also plan to be flexible when needed.