Describe how you balance work, study, hobby and social habits

:: Or even describe how much you currently juggle ::

Just wanting to get an idea about some of the others on the forum and how they balance all of their own personal commitments. Is it possible to be great/pro at multiple of these things or it only possible in your opinion time wise to spend them on one.

Currently i have many disparate goals that i wish to achieve, but i am finding that i've become the kid in the candy shop. With so many choices that seem to be so appealing i've hit a deadlock in not being able to start any one of them fully.

Current goals (either Active or Not started) [Ranked by importance, starred by * for things i want to excel at]

Go karting vs. Cycling is due to i have cycled a lot and i'm very good at it; I've never raced Karts before.

* Road Cyclist [3]
* Go-Kart Racing [4] * or Cycling
* Working as a System Administrator [1] *
* Studying [2]
* Social life [5]

From the list above you can see a lot of time commitments and i know that i have to prioritise, but what i seek is; how much can you typically fit in to your life before it becomes just one big mess of activities and does this affect your ability to excel at any certain task.

One of my current problems is a perfectionist trait in which i will go at something 110% at the detriment to all other activities and this is not going to work. I need to so how split my time across the activities to ensure good coverage without the risk of starvation to the other processes.

I'm slowly starting to learn that tasks can be broken up into smaller pieces. I use to be of the mind set that what you started needed to be finished in a single sitting - I couldn't leave the job alone until done, but now with proper tracking and recording i'm able to leave a job and return to it at a later time. Now splitting and allocation of time are currently my problem! eek!

I'd love to know your techniques... Do you rate your tasks in order and then divide them in rations over time in a day? I know many people will say things along the line of "too many things, you need to cut back" but i have seen people do more; i.e. Gym, Sport, Social Life, School/Study & Surf so this is not impossible.

I just don't want to live a life that is dominated by a single activity at the detriment of other dreams.

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Comments

powerfool

I have never been able to successfully pull off everything. If I pick up a hobby, like competitive swimming or weight training, other areas suffer.

N2IT

One day at a time is how I manage. I set goals which need to be met and they usually are. I'll tell myself 10 hours of studying this week. I usually manage that, I don't go over though. Working out the same way, I set realistic goals. 3 days a week 1 hour a sesson makes it very managable. Hobbies are replaced by kids except for movies. I'm old school I love going to the movies/theatre. I really love plays and musicals, but also enjoy motion pictures.

WafflesAndRootbeer

I eat lots of yogurt which allows me to manipulate space and time to achieve a perfect balance in all my pursuits.

Turgon

dontstop wrote: »

:: Or even describe how much you currently juggle ::

Just wanting to get an idea about some of the others on the forum and how they balance all of their own personal commitments. Is it possible to be great/pro at multiple of these things or it only possible in your opinion time wise to spend them on one.

Currently i have many disparate goals that i wish to achieve, but i am finding that i've become the kid in the candy shop. With so many choices that seem to be so appealing i've hit a deadlock in not being able to start any one of them fully.

Current goals (either Active or Not started) [Ranked by importance, starred by * for things i want to excel at]

Go karting vs. Cycling is due to i have cycled a lot and i'm very good at it; I've never raced Karts before.

* Road Cyclist [3]
* Go-Kart Racing [4] * or Cycling
* Working as a System Administrator [1] *
* Studying [2]
* Social life [5]

From the list above you can see a lot of time commitments and i know that i have to prioritise, but what i seek is; how much can you typically fit in to your life before it becomes just one big mess of activities and does this affect your ability to excel at any certain task.

One of my current problems is a perfectionist trait in which i will go at something 110% at the detriment to all other activities and this is not going to work. I need to so how split my time across the activities to ensure good coverage without the risk of starvation to the other processes.

I'm slowly starting to learn that tasks can be broken up into smaller pieces. I use to be of the mind set that what you started needed to be finished in a single sitting - I couldn't leave the job alone until done, but now with proper tracking and recording i'm able to leave a job and return to it at a later time. Now splitting and allocation of time are currently my problem! eek!

I'd love to know your techniques... Do you rate your tasks in order and then divide them in rations over time in a day? I know many people will say things along the line of "too many things, you need to cut back" but i have seen people do more; i.e. Gym, Sport, Social Life, School/Study & Surf so this is not impossible.

I just don't want to live a life that is dominated by a single activity at the detriment of other dreams.

People have different demands on their time. Im married with two small children. I have a senior IT role which is very demanding. I would also like to become a CCIE. So I prioritise accordingly:

1. Family
2. Job
3. Me time
4. CCIE

3 is important because if you dont look after yourself you cant deliver on anything else.

Result: Happy at home, doing well at work, CCIE taking time but this year should crack it!

kotan

A good sex life is imperative.

chrisone

Much can be accomplished if you sacrifice watching TV. Waking up a little early is healthier than staying up really late.

VAHokie56

Turgon is correct I think. You you need to set aside "me time" to just unwind and relax...I go to the gym certain mornings (520am) and certain evenings, also I have nights I spend with my GF just laying around... and nights set aside for making a pot of coffee and just studying my butt off. Sit down and write out what nights are what and stick to your schedule...its easy after it becomes routine...

Turgon

kotan wrote: »

A good sex life is imperative.

It's actually imperative for your wife. Geeks forget that.

Turgon

VAHokie56 wrote: »

Turgon is correct I think. You you need to set aside "me time" to just unwind and relax...I go to the gym certain mornings (520am) and certain evenings, also I have nights I spend with my GF just laying around... and nights set aside for making a pot of coffee and just studying my butt off. Sit down and write out what nights are what and stick to your schedule...its easy after it becomes routine...

Correct. You need chill nights where you dont do anything but hangout with your girlfriend or wife. No WoW. No studies. Nothing. Basically whatever she wants. Do it or she will get unhappy and leave you.

Jayjett90

WafflesAndRootbeer wrote: »

I eat lots of yogurt which allows me to manipulate space and time to achieve a perfect balance in all my pursuits.

Was it approved by the FDA mister

MAC_Addy

Study hard and work hard and the benefits will repay you. Oh, and if you have a girlfriend, fiance, or wife, make sure you keep her happy. Because if you don't you will have hell to pay. Help out around the house and you'll be able to pursue your studies.

I currently have a fiance, we're getting married in July - can't wait. My studying doesn't really affect us too much since she's in uni right now. When she studies, I study. It works out rather well. Our time is usually when we both get home, we cook and clean together which is really nice. After that we study our butts off.

ptilsen

Let's see.... I work way too much, barely having enough time to study. So, when it comes time to study, instead of studying, I go to play games or watch TV. In doing that, I get distracted by web sites such as this one. So right now, I'm behind in my certification path, work, games I'm playing, shows I'm watching and instead of doing something about it, I'm writing this post.

Put more briefly, I would say I simply don't balance these things very well.

ptilsen

To be fair and a bit more constructive, I'm somewhat burned out after spending three months straight studying, passing two tests, then failing 70-643 twice. Normally, when I'm not feeling burned out, I pretty much put life on the back burner until I'm done with a given test. Study, work, study, work, study, work, test, pass or rinse and repeat until pass. There isn't any real time in there for fun or a social life until the test is passed.

powerfool

I have been burned out since last June. I haven't taken one single exam since then and I have a few on my to-do list. I went a pretty sluggish schedule for a little over a year before that, which explains a lot. I need to refocus and get a few of them knocked out. It is certainly tough to get things in order. Family, work, school, exam studying, home improvements... add more to the list...

I am going to see if I can lobby WGU to accept transfer credits for masters programs. Once I finish this semester, I will have a graduate certificate in cybersecurity policy, and it will be 2/3 of the masters program complete. Maybe I can get WGU to take that and several of my certs and give me something reasonable that I can complete in one term. If not... stick to the MS in Cybersecurity Policy.

I need to knock out this VMware VCP stuff before the end of February...