Disappearing Act

This semester has been hard. Between the added responsibilities at work and the seemingly infinite amount of start-of-school events, I’ve barely had any time for myself. It seems that I spend all day at work taking care of the sort of things that “just come up” meaning that when I get to leave work and go home, I have to spend my own time doing other things for work – responding to emails, planning ahead, etc. My laundry bag hasn’t been touched in weeks, my kitchen smells kind of funky, and my closet is empty because none of my clothes are on their hangers.

I actually had a lot of posts planned and (mostly) written. I’m not too sure what happened for the second half of September…I know I had a TBT post that I NEEDED to write and I just didn’t get around to it…so I guess I just stopped logging into WordPress? Real logical there, Author. The ironic part is that I wrote a whole post about some anxiety issues I’ve been struggling with…only to see that I never posted it!! (Which might be a good thing because then y’all might have thought I went off the deep end!)

So here’s my game plan: it’s October (yay) which means I am FINALLY eligible for a new phone. I’m going to go buy it tonight which means a good portion of my evening will be spent backing up the old one and setting up the new one. Which means I’ll have time to blog? Hopefully?? And as I mentioned earlier, I have some posts already written (and some wonderful post ideas) so I should be able to get this bad boy back on a normal schedule!

Sorry for the radio silence and I’m hoping to streamline my life a bit more in the coming days!

2013 Goal Updates – April

Be More Organized

I think I need to use my calendar more. I know I’m already a calendar/planner FREAK, but this past month I managed to fall behind on some projects. Not cool. However, I did have this random day where I went on a cleaning spree and completely re-organized one closet AND found items to donate. I’m actually really eager for students to leave so I have time to really tackle my office.

Read More

I think the only reading I have done this month is my inbox which always seems to be bursting at the seams with new messages. Seriously. If I have fifteen free minutes at work, I go through and sort my emails only for five more to come rolling in. The end of the year is approaching FAST and my students are getting antsy. “There’s a vacant space in my room for next year, are you going to assign someone to it?” (Yes.) “Can I leave my things in my apartment for the summer?” (No.) “Is it too late to apply to be an RA for next year?” (Dies.) I’d like to say I plan on doing more reading next month…but the new season of Arrested Development is getting posted on Netflix at the end of the month…so honestly, I might spend a good chunk of time re-watching seasons one, two, and three. Oops. I’m not even sorry.

Schedule More Me Time

About that…While I definitely set aside some time for non-work-related things, they were also things that NEEDED to get done. I want to do things like spoil myself with a pedicure or a massage but those things cost MONEY and I really haven’t had that much lately. Maybe I’ll do those things after the students move out to reward myself for surviving year one.

Keep In Touch

This month I did manage to travel and see some friends! I took one trip to Grad School State and another trip home. When I was home, I had dinner with my (recently engaged!) best friend. After dinner, we chatted about her wedding…she’s done so much planning! She has a date, a venue, colors, a dress…she just needs bridesmaids…and that’s where I come in! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have my first bridesmaid gig. Now let’s just hope I don’t become that chick from “27 Dresses” any time soon…

Be a Grown Up

The most grown up thing I did this month was pay my taxes. A whopping $45. Woooo. I also paid one doctor’s bill and I need to pay another. Actually! I’m planning a big vacation, but I think I’m going to do a separate post about that. It seems kind of grown up. Other than those things (notice they all require money), I’ve felt like a frustrated toddler this month. Ugh.

Hopefully my life will get back on track next month. Just as I get this school year routine down, it’s back to summer. Sigh.

Self Care and Maintaining the Work-Life Balance

Student affairs is not your typical 40 hour work week. At 5 pm, we do not get to get in our cars, drive home, and forget about work until the next day. In fact, most of us only have to walk across campus to get home. As a result, there is a lot of talk about “burn out” among new (and even seasoned) professionals. I’ve got a few days until the madness of move in starts, and I think now is a great time to reflect on maintaining the work-life balance.

What have you done for YOU this week?

This is a question in the weekly report I give to my RAs. I want to know what they are doing to keep themselves happy. Everybody needs “me” time. I personally like comfort food (mac and cheese) and watching terrible TV shows. I also get a sense of accomplishment from finishing a crafting project. Other people like playing video games or baking or seeing a movie. A lot of times, we’ll do these things automatically. I almost always watch an episode of a show before going to bed. During busy weeks, we might forget that we did these little things if we don’t stop for a moment and reflect on our week. Another way to ensure you are getting some “me” time is to schedule it. You have plenty of other meetings on your calendar. Set aside some time for you.

Stay healthy and fit!

Take advantage of the gym and the fitness classes on your campus. My department goes to the same yoga class each week. It’s nice to do something with everybody that isn’t work related. Also, I’ve learned that my schedule doesn’t correspond with student schedules (remember what sleeping in felt like?) so there are some wonderful moments where the gym isn’t packed. One advantage to living on campus is you have this wonderful place to walk around. Walk on the paths and stairs around campus for a change of scenery.

Speak up!

Every one on one, my supervisor asks if I’m handling everything okay. That’s awesome, I have a supervisor that gets just how demanding this job can be because she’s been in my place. Not everybody is that lucky. I told her that if I was every starting to feel overwhelmed, I would let her know. If you are starting to feel worn down, let your supervisor know. Some situations in the residence halls can keep you up late dealing with unpleasant things. You shouldn’t be afraid to ask your boss if it’s okay to sleep in a bit. And this brings me to my next point…

Use time off wisely!

I know it sounds amazing to think that you can accrue X weeks off and take some fabulous vacation and be gone for the entire time. No, that’s not going to happen. If you have enough money for said vacation, please let me know how you earned that. Also, nobody is going to like you if you are gone for weeks at time. Instead, use a little bit here and there. Starting to feel burned out? Take a personal day. Make it a Friday or Monday so you can have a long weekend. Starting to feel sick? Use a sick day, that’s what they are for! Plan actual vacations…a cruise with friends, a beach resort with your family. You can take vacations, they just shouldn’t be two or three weeks long.

What are some other ways that you maintain the work-life balance? Do you have any goals for personal things to do this year? Any fun upcoming vacations? Actually, don’t tell me about those, I haven’t started accruing vacation time yet.