Life is all about balance. Juggling University work, socialising with friends, seeing my boyfriend, speaking to family, cooking, cleaning, sleeping, blogging, searching for a job, independent time: the list is endless!
There simply isn't enough time in the day I don't think! It probably doesn't help that I am a huge procrastinator, it's about time my life got some focus. The first 2 weeks of the year saw me revising and stressing out over University exams which I don't think went too well but there's no need to dwell as I can't change it now! The last week and a half has been dominated by partying with my housemates and spending some much needed time with my boyfriend which has been fab! I think it's about time I got organised at time management more effectively now after my week and a half of fun.
Last week saw my first week back at University. I'm only in 2 days a week which you may think is easy but it's harder than you think! Wednesdays 9am until 7pm and Thursdays 10am until 8pm are killer days! Come Thursday night and all I want to do is sleep. However I have been a naughty University student this last week and only attended 2 of my 6 lectures oops! Great start to semester 2. I am going to try my hardest to attend every lecture this week, I can't help that my bed is much more appealing than lectures!
In order to try and manage my time, I am going to plan out my day using my diary although I know not every single goal is going to be met as days are unpredictable! I plan to do 2-3 hours of University work everyday, whether that be coursework, writing up lecture notes, research or revision just so that I'm doing a little bit everyday and keeping on top of it as I do want to get a good degree! I think doing it in small bunches rather than doing hours and hours is more beneficial as it breaks it up making it easier to do. Plus this way I won't feel guilty if I miss the odd day due to being hungover or something (which is likely!).
I plan to try and keep on top of my blogging doing a minimum of 3 posts every week which may turn out to be a challenge so this may end up being cut down to 2 depending on how busy I am.
My partying habits are going to be severely cut down which I can tell I am going to find hard by limiting myself to go out once (with the odd exception of twice) a week with the girls. This means I will have time to spend with them, my boyfriend as well as myself pretty equally.
Because I don't live with my parents during term time, I have to make time to do basic chores including cooking, washing up, general cleaning of the house and laundry which does get laborious and repetitive but it has to be done! This takes up far more time than you would expect which I get stressed at when the amount of University work I have to do builds up.
Job hunting is another task I need to make time for as I really need and want a job. I plan to look everyday and send off my CV to every single job advertised that I think is appropriate for me, just so that I am constantly sending off applications making it more likely for me to get a job.
Family. Because I don't get to see my family, we regularly communicate through texting and calling. My mum texts me almost everyday and my sister does most days. Texting my brother is a rare occurrence as he is always busy at home and most conversations are based on him finding silly videos for me to watch on YouTube or songs as we have a very similar personality so we find the same things amusing. My mum rings me 2-3 times a week with some phone calls lasting an hour! Who knows what we talk about. My dad rings me once a week to have a catch up and my grandparents every couple of weeks or so as family are very important in my life. This of course takes up time but I always make sure I have time for family.
Sleeping is something I love. I need a minimum of 8 hours most nights or I get super tired which makes me unmotivated to do anything but lie in bed and watch Chick Flicks. A 10 hour sleep is best though but I sometimes have to cut down on sleep to make sure I have time for the more important things in life (even though sleep is very important).
Independent time is my time. The time for me to wind down by watching films or TV series' or drawing. I love having my own time to just chill out in my bed and relax which everyone needs to do. Stress all the time isnt good for the soul. I am considering starting to do meditation to see if that can cleanse and remove all the stress from my mind and body.
Exercise is something that lacks in my life. My boyfriend is training to become a personal trainer so he spends plenty of time at the gym. He's asked me on several occasions to join him but I've always turned him down in fear that I'd embarrass myself but I think I should start to say yes. I used to be really sporty before I did A Levels doing dancing, cross country running, athletic running, cycling and swimming at a high level but I gradually stopped doing sport all together which I regret. My boyfriend suggested yesterday that we start running together which I wouldn't actually mind doing, just to get a little bit of fitness back in my life.
This is why I don't think 24 hours is enough to fit all of the above in! Plenty of people do though so if they can then so can I. It's all about trial and error (plenty of that I'm sure!) but I am so determined to get my life back on track now.
Do you struggle to find a balance in life? Do you have any tips to maintain a balanced lifestyle?