Is My Schedule Making Me Crazy?

I had so much fun reading the comments from yesterday’s posts. I loved reading about the different things that have astonished you lately. And if you’re feeling uninspired and sad that you haven’t been able to look at things as though you had the wonder of a child in you, don’t fret. Make a conscious effort to allow yourself to open up to every day beauty. Here’s what I posted on my Facebook page:

Notice the small things today. Allow yourself to look at things in wonder. Be astonished by everything.

You may not see it at first, but keep looking. It’s there. I promise!

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Here are the new workout clothes I purchased yesterday. A local store, Asana Activewear, is sadly closing. I loved shopping there when I could afford it because they had some really cute clothes and sold Margarita athletic wear (one of my fave work out brands when I’m not in Zumbawear).

I had a Living Social deal to the place, so I decided to hurry in to cash in my deal before the shop closed forever and to give one last browse. Everything was 50% off with the exception of the jackets, which were 75% off.

I ended up getting:

  • a green light weight jacket
  • a black sweat-wicking jacket
  • 2 boxer bottoms (to go under pants)
  • and a really pretty sports bra

After the discounts and Living Social deal, my total was about $80. I consider that a real steal, especially since one jacket was full price $95!

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The spree savings were bittersweet since it was really sad to see the store close. Asana was a locally owned company, and as someone with an entrepreneurial spirit myself, I find it especially hard to see someone’s dreams and hard work go under. I wish the store owners the best of luck in their future endeavors.

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I really been craving oatmeal for the last couple days, but when hubby proudly came home last night with a box of “healthy” waffles and real maple syrup (he prefers Aunt Jemima), I couldn’t turn down his waffle breakfast suggestion.

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There are a handful of new froyo places getting ready to open up around town. I mean, literally, there are about 4 or 5 new businesses about to open.

I decided to hit up the latest – The Frozen Isle.

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Lucky me, Brittney was able to meet me last minute so I had fabulous company.

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I tried the California tart and blueberry tart. I thought the California tart was just ok. I think I expected it to taste like Yoforia, and I really shouldn’t have had those expectations. It’s like when you accidentally drink soda when you think you’re drinking water. It’s just not what you expect, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad.

Now, the blueberry tart is another story altogether. That stuff was freakin amazing! More? Yes please!

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I worked till 6pm today before heading home. Hubby and I had a Groupon to a local noodle shop, Noodles & Company, so we decided to hit them up on our way to Lowe’s for some house shopping. Unfortunately, I guess we went to the wrong noodle restaurant! The Groupon was actually for a different restaurant. Doh!

Anywho, I had the Trio – with tomato basil soup and whole wheat linguine noodles with veggies and organic tofu.

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Nom!

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And look at this crazy little guy.

I mean…seriously…I sat down on the couch and he literally crawled into my lap. My WHOLE lap! I don’t think Bailey knows he’s not a lap dog! lol

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Is My Schedule Making Me Crazy

I’ve been hesitant to say anything about this on the blog, because I wasn’t sure how you’d all react. But, thanks to some inspiration from a fellow blogger…here goes nothing…I’ve never said it here on the blog before, but every once in awhile, when I’m blogging at 1am and I have a big day at work the next day, and I’m stressed and tired…I start to wonder…why am I doing this? Btw, this = blogging. I spend a large portion of my day blogging and since I work a 40+ hours a week job, and teach Zumba, and have a husband and dog wanting my attention, I don’t exactly have a lot of free time. I usually come to my senses and remember how much I just LOVE blogging and snap back. But, I know I’m not the only one who shares similar thoughts.

Brittany of Eating Bird Food recently wrote a fabulous blog post titled, “Is Blogging Making Me Unhealthy?” (which you should totally read!) She posted her daily schedule and talked about her own frustrations with blogging. I thought it would be fun to share my schedule with you guys. My schedule is actually pretty much different every day, but on average, it looks something like this:

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As you can see, it’s pretty jam-packed. It’s also not my ideal schedule. Sometimes I wonder if my schedule is making me crazy?! It would be easy to point the finger to blogging and say it is the culprit, but I think my time issues are greater than just blogging. And beyond schedule constraints, general lack of time, and blogging at the middle of the night, I have other frustrations. I normally like to keep TCL a positive place and not talk about “negative” subjects. But, at the same time, I think that if I can fix some of my frustrations, and take you guys along my journey, maybe I can turn these negatives into positives and “make lemons out of lemonade”? 😉 I mean, I can’t be the only one who’s frustrated once in awhile, right?

Life isn’t a constant. Life is full of change. And I think it’s necessary to change with life instead of trying to fight against it. My schedule from college won’t work for my schedule now. When you find something that works (from planning, to scheduling, etc), you may find that it no longer works based on other things that change in your life over time. I think it’s important to observe, evaluate, plan, and execute change. I like to take a look at things around me – what’s working, what’s not, and change what I can. And I don’t mean just scheduling. Work load, organization, and other areas of life can be changed.

Right now, I’m at the point where I’m seeing that things in my life aren’t working, and I’m trying to make plans for improvement.

For me, the first step is identifying the issues.

Schedule/Time Frustrations:

  • Feeling like I’m rushing around all the time
  • Blogging after 11pm (hey, it’s only 10:20pm right now…not too shabby!)
  • Not having time to read
  • Not spending as much time with hubby as I’d like
  • Not spending as much time with Bailey as I’d like
  • Working through lunch and eating it at my desk
  • Not taking breaks/breathers during the work day
  • No time to paint nails (not enough down time to wait for them to dry!)
  • Being so busy that when I finally have down time, I get extra lazy and forget about some easy to-do’s I could be tackling
  • Lack of me time
  • Lack of QT with friends
  • Lack of relaxation time

In general, my schedule is nowhere near as organized as I’d like it to be. I always feel pressed for time and never make time to relax. I would like to get more organized, balance out my work-life and spend more time with hubby and Bailey.

House Frustrations (so embarrassing!):

  • Not having any finished projects in the house from when we moved in over a year ago!
  • Not finishing the last 5% of our kitchen renovation (we just need a backsplash, hardware, curtains, and paint – the heavy lifting was done around this time last year and it looks the same!)
  • No curtains in most rooms…still
  • No art or photographs on any walls
  • Disorganized linen closet
  • General disorganization

In general, I feel like I haven’t paid any attention to my house in the last year. I’ve always had some other project to work on or something else to do. I’ve neglected my poor home, when there’s been so much I could have been doing. I want to make my house a “home.”

The next step is to make a plan on how to correct/improve these frustrations.

So, is blogging making me crazy? Maybe. But blogging also helps keep me sane on many levels. Blogging is not only my creative outlet, but has become a way of finding fun, inspiration, and friends – near and far. So, if I’m not willing to give up blogging, what then happens to my house? To Zumba? To Bailey? To Hubby? The truth is…I don’t want to give any of them up, but I don’t want any of them to suffer by me being pulled in so many directions.

The solution is…well…I’m not sure. But, I think better organization, prioritization, and time management will help. Really, only time will tell. I’m hoping to make some changes, see if things are working better, and just keep living my life.

Are you experiencing any frustrations recently? What are your tips for organization, time management and balancing out your life?

34 thoughts on “Is My Schedule Making Me Crazy?”

  1. I wrote about something similar a few weeks ago – I realized that I need to slow down (I was also getting sick frequently which never used to happen) and so I decided to not post as frequently (which has been 1 less post a week). Here it is 10, and I’m still on my computer, but I’m making a conscious effort to slow down!

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  2. So sorry to hear about your frustrations! You are a very busy gal and I have always appreciated your honesty towards the situation because I feel like working gals that blog and balance healthy habits are troopers and great role models!

    I recently started blogging for all the wrong reasons and created posts that weren’t of interest to me. I lost sight of what I wanted to talk about and got so stressed out about the blog. So I went back and read my first couple of posts and read a list of old topics I developed. Then I did a focus overhaul on my posting purpose. I now blog when there is something I want to talk about, and love those that read my blog and comment, but remember that I write for me and can’t feel guilty if I miss a post to spend time with my hubby. 🙂

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  3. As much as I love reading TCL perhaps cutting back on posts will give you the best of both worlds…sanity + a creative outlet. Part of my hesitation with finding a job was knowing I’d have to cut back on my blogging time. I’ve been lucky that I’ve had the few months to focus on my blog. While I love it and wish I could do it full time (don’t we all), I’m coming to terms with the fact that I’m gonna have to cut back once I start my job.

    When I was still in school, blogging was pretty stressful at times and looking back, I wish I had just taken a few nights off and focused on school work and everything else going on in my life. It shouldn’t be stressful, you know?

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  4. Oh my gosh, Diana you should definitely not feel nervous about posting this. I’m sure there are tons of people out there feeling the same way…especially ME!
    I went through the same frustrations a few months back. I, too, work full time teaching, plus a husband, friends, a house, my cat, cooking, and exercising. It’s just downright HARD to fit it all in sometimes. When I was really feeling the frustration was when I was blogging 3x a day. I had to come to the realization that it was just too much. So I’ve since cut back to blogging once a day (sometimes 2 if I have extra time). It has helped, but I still struggle with the time management piece quite a bit.
    Case in point…it’s 11:20pm and I should be in bed right now. 😉

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    • Courtney… I was just reading your posts and it’s absolutly amazing how you make so much time for all the wonderful recipes and things in life! Would love to hear from you on your time management tips… maybe a post on the topic 🙂

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  5. Totally hear you! A lot of things on my list match yours and the lack of me time and time for loved ones is on there as well… the way I see it, blogging keeps me sane and allows me to organize everything around me! I’ve been a regular reader of your blog and marvel at your prowess and ability to fit in so many wonderful things in your day – cooking, zumba, blogging et all… and am totally inspired by your outlook towards life. Like you said, ‘better organization, prioritization, and time management will help’ and the key is consistency, focus & discipline. Need I say more 🙂 Here’s to wonderful days of blogging and enjoying life all at the same time!

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  6. Oh, D! I totally understand what you are saying. I often wondered if I was being a bad blogger because there are so many that blog everyday. I often dont have the time to not only write the post, do a little searching, and editing. I have realized I cannot beat myself up over it.
    I often don’t have the time to sneak in some blogging at work. I am just too busy. And since it is just me, the pup needs my undivided attention when I get home. Trying to fit in working out in between work and taking care of the pup…which is kind of like being a single parent.

    Also, don’t be embarrassed about the whole house thing. I am in the same situation. I just put up my first set of pictures on my wall and there is still work to be done.

    As I much as I love your blog, you are more important. I am sure your readers will understand if you blogged every other day or took weekends off.

    Lastly, YOU ROCK! Thanks for your openness.

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  7. *hugs*

    I realize this must have been difficult to write. Just remember that you don’t owe anyone anything! And if you need to skip a night or two or three, it won’t matter to us.

    Find your balance. We’ll still be here.

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  8. This is definitely a tough situation and I really feel for you, because I know this all too well. Just reading your schedule exhausts me!

    I don’t have a solution for you, unfortunately, but just know that whatever you choose, us, your readers will still be reading!

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  9. Sending a massive hug all the way from England x
    Regarding your house, sounds like you need a stay at home holiday! Personally my environment is the one thing I like to have in order, screw everything else lol. Take a week off and get EVERYTHING you want done, then spend a few days enjoying your home, going for walks with your adorable dog and spend some quality time with the hubster 😀

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  10. wow your schedule does look crazy! Maybe it would help to prioritize 3 things each day (besides work) and just focus on those three? Also, you could try and see if blogging a little less works? And try and keep one main goal for a certain period… like, renovating/organizing your house could be the main goal for you and the hubby for the next 2 months.

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  11. One thing that has helped me balance it all is two things:

    1)Making a blog calendar
    2) Scheduling posts

    Especially with my recipes. I will spend a week trying recipes and if they are bloggable, I will upload my photos but not blog them yet. I will write in on my calendar what day I want them to post and then over the weekend, when I have extra time, I will write my posts and schedule them for the following week.

    This helps me to have extra time for my little corgi and my kids and my husband!

    Hope that helps!

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  12. i feel like my schedule matches yours these days! one thing i’ve noticed is that if my nails are a disaster then I feel the same way! i took 5 minutes before bed last night to take off my chipping gray polish and put on a quick-drying clear strengthener. just doing that made me feel so much more put-together! i highly recommend it as a quick fix. 🙂

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  13. I always wondered how bloggers do it – I mean, if its a source of income, or semi-source, then I always figured bloggers blog during the day and then not at night. But if bloggers do it for personal enjoyment and other aspects of your life are being neglected, then yeah, I’d say you have to re-arrange priorities. Why not try limiting blogging to 3 or 4 times a week? That’s an idea. (This is why I could never do a blog because I simply don’t have the time / and web know-how/html knowledge).

    Also, speaking as a regular reader of your blog, I love when all my favorite bloggers post new stories, pictures, recipes, etc. but people WILL understand that LIFE comes first and they will understand if you can’t blog everyday. I normally go through all my favorite websites every day as I’m drinking my tea or coffee, but sometimes I’m so busy that I can’t read or comment, so then I catch up later. Don’t make yourself crazy or sick. I commend you for your dedication, but hubby, Bailey and life comes first otherwise you’re going to burn out.

    Your loyal readers will always be here! 🙂

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  14. Thanks for sharing Diana. After posting about this issue on my blog I found that almost everyone struggles with time management and fitting in everything we hold dear in life. Like you, I’m not sure what the answer is, but I know that time with my friends, family, Isaac and Olive isn’t the thing I want to let go by the wayside. I’m still trying to find a healthy balance between blogging, work, working out, going to school, time with loved ones etc and if that means cutting back on a few posts a week, then I’m okay with that. Quality posts mean more than the quantity of posts, in my opinion. 🙂

    I’m sure we’ll both figure out what we need to do! xoxo

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  15. Diana,
    I really, really enjoy your blog not only for your creativity and positivity, but also for your honesty. You should not feel obligated to blog every day, every meal, every move. You should spend time with your husband, your dog, your family and friends, and you should blog if and when you feel moved to or if and when you feel you have something awesome to share. I think some bloggers get bogged down because they pigeon-hole themselves into ‘I have to show everyone everything I did today, everything I ate, everything I bought at the store’ whatever. You know?
    My advice: Try to slow down. Pick one thing you haven’t done in a while or one thing you want to do (read a chapter of a book, paint your nails) and do it one night instead of blogging/checking e-mail, etc. You don’t have to do that every night, but once or twice a week might be an awesome break for you. 🙂
    Best of luck, dear. Keep your positive spirit–that goes a lot farther than you think!

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  16. Thanks for sharing! I’m a compulsive list-maker. I somehow feel much more organized when I make a list and cross things off. Then even if I don’t get finished everything on my list, at least I know I made a good effort. One tip is to take big tasks and break them down into smaller tasks. This is what I’m doing right now with cleaning. Instead of doing one major cleaning spree every week, I pick one thing every day and do that. It only takes a few minutes to say, swiffer the floors, and when I do one little thing each day it makes a huge difference! You could try that in other areas of life too 🙂

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  17. Don’t worry about keeping the blog always positive because that’s not real life. There are some bloggers that post so often as their “job” and everything seems easy and perfect for them – that’s not interesting or motivating. I like yours because you have a real job like the rest of us so keep doing what you can do and thank you! And BTW I have three kids so I know busy!

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  18. I totally understand your feelings on feeling like there is not enough time in the day. I do not blog everyday. If I feel like I need to spend time with my husband rather than blog, that is what I do–like last night. I also take off from blogging on the weekends unless I have some free time to do it. There is no required number of posts that you must write. Rememeber when you went on vacay and did not blog for a couple days. I bet you still got hits and I bet your readers are still reading. Do not feel obligated to us; those who are actually in your life are most important.

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  19. Diana – I think we ALL go through this. There was a time I was posting daily on not one but two blogs and it was beating me senseless. And, to be honest, my work schedule is beyond chaotic. Even this week I had to take a step back and breathe and, quite frankly, I realized that I should blog 3-4 times a week and possibly follow what some other bloggers do and schedule posts – when I have the time. You do what is right for you – we will be reading (I don’t comment as much as I used to but I do read daily :))

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  20. Oh wow… it’s like your reading my mind! I totally get where you are coming from!

    From time to time I get so frustrated I think I might just up and quit blogging. Especially since I don’t even know if people read my blog anymore. Lol. Maybe I’m just a better blog reader than blogger you know? But I always seem to pull myself back.

    Time will definitely tell.

    Good luck with your endeavors. I think that because you acknowledged it, you will find a solution. 🙂

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  21. Brave girl for putting this out there and asking for help!

    I know the feeling of being overwhelmed and wondering why I’m even doing everything. For me, my priorities are:

    **marriage and family
    **working out/healthy living
    **social media and blogging
    **work (I love my job)
    **friends and socializing

    So when I really feel overwhelmed, I ask myself — is what I’m doing contributing to success in one of those areas? If I say, “yes, cleaning the bathroom will help my marriage because it drives Lucas crazy when I leave towels on the floor,” I’ll clean the bathroom. But if I say “no, me reading another historical fiction book will not help me,” I put the book down and have no regrets.

    I’m a super organized person, so there are a few tricks that I use that may or may not work for you (especially because I’m not a lifecaster, so posting things chronologically doesn’t matter to me):

    **I pre-write and schedule posts. I allot about 2 hours every Sunday, usually in the morning before Lucas wakes up, to write and schedule posts for the week ahead. I find that when I make myself sit down and write, I’m much more efficient than when I tackle it on a daily basis. Having said that, I always re-read my post before it is pushed live, and often edit. But it’s easier to edit than to start. Oh, and I don’t blog on Sundays.

    **I delegate. #Fitblog has started to take over my life, so I have decided to ask for help. When I did, about 60 people volunteered to jump in. I’m going to take 5 hours to plan for delegation, which will save me 5 weekly hours moving forward. That means I’m outsourcing the newsletter, scheduling moderators, marketing and social media — which will save me a TON of stress.

    **I get up really early. Sorry, it’s true. I get up and check email, have coffee and breakfast, watch the news, paint my nails, snuggle my kitties — all before 6:30am. Often, I run in the morning, too, which is an even earlier wakeup call. Yes, it sucks to get 6-7 hours of sleep a night, but I’m willing to trade some sleep for a lot less on the to-do list.

    **Speaking of to-do lists, I schedule homework. Mondays are Body Pump, Dance Trance and #Fitblog marketing. Tuesdays are running and #Fitblog moderation. Wednesday is Dance Trance and Responding to Comments. And so on. I write it down in my calendar and cross it off when it’s done.

    And then? If all that fails? I stop doing the stuff that stresses me out, including blogging. It’s not my full-time job and nobody makes me do it. When it’s not fun, I cut it out. I always come back, more committed than ever.

    Email me so we can chat more, love.

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  22. I definitely understand the pressures of work, life, blog balance! It can be hard to cut back and say no I’m not going to do this. I’ve had to take a few “blog breaks” because of my crazy schedule and feeling fried. There were times I felt like I was forcing posts. I started taking time on Sunday to plan out my week (meals, outfits, changes for the gym, etc) and it has helped. I have also stopped multitasking! Our brains can only do 1 thing well at a time. By doing this, I have even more time and what I’m doing is better. Quality over quantity!

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  23. Oh my god, I’m so with you. I just wrote a post about how overwhelmed I’m feeling with fulltime work and fulltime grad school and teaching TurboKick! Something has GOT to give! I hope we figure it out together =)

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  24. As a new blogger of only about 3 months, I have loads to learn. For example: when to blog, when to eat, how to take good photos, and how NOT to annoy my family members at the dinner table. The hardest part for me is the whole time management thing. It’s gotten easier on the way, mostly from trial and error, but sometimes I wonder: “Why am I doing this”? For now I’ll keep chugging along and hopefully it will be and endeavor I won’t regret 🙂 Thanks for bringing this up, it’s good to know I’m not alone.

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  25. I have struggled with this for quite a while, but with my work not blogging. I have such a passion for my career that I would be up at 2am checking my work e-mail and acting like a crazy person.

    This dilema reminds me of the old saying Eat to live don’t… Live to Eat. I think you could replace “eat” with just about anything and it would be relevant.

    I really, really enjoy your blog and love all aspects of it, but I could wait a day or two to read things if it meant you would maintain your sanity. 😉

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  26. awww girl i feel ya! i’ve recently been really stressed with my schedule lately & have just decided i need to work on working ahead (as in, days ahead on what i can- everything from meal prep to schoolwork) & things have gotten better. i hope it’s not temporary though. but just figure out what works for you, and be okay with that. it’s easier said than done, but if you aren’t doing what you’re meant for…then you’re just wasting your life. praying for ya…

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  27. Definitely feel your frustrations! It just seems like there is never enough time during the waking hours and if I didn’t have to sleep so much more could get done! With 2 jobs, trying to finish my thesis and graduate, class, wedding plans, blogging, cycling and cycling team, gym time, family time, it’s so hard to fit it all in and be balanced. Getting up at 4am just to fit in a bike ride is rough. I’m not sure I have the best advice because I’m feeling overwhelmed too! I definitely have to cut back on blogging 🙁 but I’m hoping once I graduate there will be a little relief 🙂 We are so behind on house chores too!
    I know! We need a vacation!!

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