Work/Life Balance

[chatnoire]

I work 40+ hours a week, I’m taking 6 credits (one is a seminar, one is a studio) - I already get up at 5:30 in the morning, and I cut off all my hair so it takes less time to get ready. I leave the house at 7. That means I have 45 minutes to spend on work in the morning. I get home at 9 on M, T, W, and by that time, I’m too exhausted to sit

Comments

[hotpanfrances]

Forget about the balance. I'm not going to say drop out or cut down, because you do what you have to, but you made a distinct choice when you took all this on and you did not vote in favor of 'balance'. I've been in that exact situation, and it boils down to a test of will.

As far as keeping your head above water goes, find out what you can let slide and skim by on it. Sleep less and drink more coffee? Six hours a night is a good average number for me. I find twenty minute naps to be very helpful, especially since I'm not a big fan of sleeping. You didn't mention a lot of slack or unproductive time in your day, so I'm assuming you keep your productivity high. If that's not the case, then try to find ways to trick yourself into getting the maximum amount of stuff done in the time you've got. I get distracted a lot, so eliminating things that cut into my focus helps me a great deal. I like to allocate three to four hour chunks of time. More gets me fatigued, less doesn't allow me to hit my stride.

[cousin_annie]

Well said. I don't know anyone who simultaneously has "balance" and full-time work and full-time graduate school. It doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue what you're doing if that's the best decision for you in the short-term, but you need to be realistic in defining how your life should look during those tough years.

[fixious]

No advice, because I'm on the opposite end -- just one grad school program, no responsibilities beyond passing classes and attempting research. I feel like such a slacker now!

[katherinemorrow]

I work on the law of diminishing returns

[dreadpirateange]

You may be asking us to give advice on how to do something that cannot be done. I don't want to be pessimistic, but you're really burning the candle at both ends here, and no matter what, *some*thing in your life will suffer as a result. Coping strategies can only do so much.

Were I you, I would reevaluate my life to see where something could give. There are always angles that you haven't considered. Perhaps you can move into a cheaper place, live in a co-op, move to someplace from where you can get easy public transportation so you can get rid of the car, apply for some external fellowships or grants, go to part-time at school, etc.

It just can't be worth it to run yourself so ragged. I hope the situation changes for the better for you, and goodluck with whatever you decide!

[eye_of_a_cat]

I'm guessing you probably do all/most of these already, but here's what works for me