4.21.2009

Still adjusting, and occupational balance is out of whack

I am continuing to adjust to my new job, and it seems to be going ok. So far I have been able to get a fair amount accomplished without working free hours (oh the bane of being salaried...) so hopefully that will continue to go well. Having some other difficulties though.

Remember those "balance your life" worksheets, with the clock face that you colored in depicting how you spent your day- leisure, work, and uh... whatever the 2 other things are? Drudgery? Self care? I don't know, I haven't had a copy since school. Anyway, I have been feeling quite out of balance lately. I think that I have a decent amount of work and leisure time, but I could probably use more sleep at night. And the added commute is eating up time that could be spent in other ways, and adding a lot of stress as well. The biggest problem though, is that I don't think my various leisure activities are balanced. For example...

My leisure activities:
- reading internet sites, newspapers, blogs
- email, facebook
- video games (animal crossing has edged out all other competitors for several months, which is itself out of balance)
- exercise
- spending time with husband
- talking to family
- making blog posts
- reading OT magazines
- reading novels
- watching TV (House, Big Bang Theory, CSI are the only current shows. Cartoons when I remember)
- travels (day trips, weddings, parties)
- puzzles (crosswords, sudoku, jigsaw)
- outdoorsy stuff (camping, canoeing... it's been so long)

This is list different than last year and the year before. I have removed activities- no more fantasy baseball as it was eating my time; no softball or girl scouts since the move since I am trying to adjust to the new city. But I am finding that some of these things are not getting done at all (exercising! OT mags! what happened?!) and that I am wishing I spent more time doing other things, but am limited in the overall time that I have. I have tried doubling up and doing 2 things at once, or being really devoted to one item for awhile, but neither have been really successful. I am afraid I will have to cut again and feel like I'm missing out.

My current plan:
I. Eliminate driving by using public transportation
(this should reduce some stress, save some money, and that cannot be bad.)
1. Figure out bus, metro, and shuttle routes (mostly done)
2. take trial runs to figure out timing
3. cancel parking pass at office
4. Benefit from extra time
A. learn to read on public transit without getting carsick
II. Make better use of time at home
(limited to ~4.5 hours between work and bed)
1. Start exercising again
2. Cut down on worthless internet time
3. Decrease days playing Animal Crossing (it's just so darn addictive!)


It's hard because I have diverse interests and I hate telling myself 'no' when I want to do something relaxing or fun. Also I am near the point of elimination on some hobbies and internet things... I feel like I just need to get rid of a lot and start from scratch. It is so easy to spot the lack of balance in another person's life, but it is hard to fix it in your own. And now it's bedtime again (sigh) so I will have to call this to a close and just try to work in these directions tomorrow so that each day gets a little better.

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