So, I haven't blogged for a while... I have just been so busy! Not woe is me I've got so much to do boo hoo but lots of exciting things going on, how can I fit all this stuff in and still get a few hours sleep kind of busy.
I think Gen Y can have a bit of a bad name for having a poor work ethic and expecting everything to come to them for the minimum amount of work. I'm sure there are people who fit in to that category but I know a lot of people my age from all different sectors who are all super busy doing lots of things to further themselves and their careers. It's a privilege to do a job that you love but there is a flip side to "finding a job you love and you'll never work again". It's hard to maintain any semblance of a work/life balance when your leisure time, work time and volunteering all blur in to one.
In February I started a new Guide unit which has been a really rewarding experience but more work than I envisaged. Until a couple of weeks ago I was also volunteering as coordinator for the opening ceremony of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts 34th World conference which was hosted in Edinburgh. As the ceremony itself approached the work load for this commitment escalated from a few hours a week at the start until it felt like I was working another full time job in the few weeks beforehand. Add to this myriad other little projects I have been helping friends with and getting involved in and my diary for the last couple of months has been a little too overcrowded.
I guess one of my problems is I never want to feel like I'm missing out. It was probably a bit much to volunteer on the IoF National Convention during the same week that I had to go to Edinburgh but I couldn't bear the thought of missing it and having to wait until next year for the next one!
I hadn't realised quite how stressed I had got with my overloaded diary until on my return from Edinburgh I kept having to tell myself to relax; I had got so tense that it took a few days to get myself to chill out. I also realised that I saw some of my London based friends more when I lived in West Sussex than I do now I live in London again and that I actually can't remember the last time I visited my Dad :( The up side is that now my diary has eased up over the summer, only having a full time job to contend with feels like being on holiday.
The next few weeks will be spent catching up with people I haven't seen in a while and enjoying any sunshine that comes our way, until the next project begins. I'd love to hear how you maintain a work/life balance, get in touch.
