I went to a party at a friend's house last weekend and struck up a conversation with a random guest and at one point he asked me if I had any hobbies "besides running". I have to admit, I did stand there with a dazed look on my face for a few seconds.
Of course I do.
Right?
Because really, running has taken over a lot of my other habits. That and work. Last week I spent about 10 hours running (not including preparation and/or cleanup) and about 55 hours at work (including getting to and from). But you can't blame it all on these two factors; it is also tiredness, or laziness, or just bad time management in general.
I used to travel. Now I only get 2 weeks off a year and I am mostly using a few days here and there tacked onto weekends in order to, you guessed it, go somewhere to run.
I used to read. Now I read for a half an hour a day on my bus ride home. Work makes me too tired to read very much, plus I don't have time to use the internet at work, so I tend to do that in the evening instead of reading.
I used to cook. Now I make big batches of stuff over the course of one or two days and then I just eat the same thing over and over (and over). I find it is better on my wallet and my stomach that way. Also it gives me more time to relax (or run).
I used to take photos. With the big camera. Now I ride the bus every day and I don't want to carry it with me so I just use my phone as a camera, if that.
I used to take walks or go to the gym at lunch. Now I have been skipping lunch, eating at my desk and not seeing much of the light of day.
On the weekends I am doing pretty well. I am still making time for a bit of social time, a bit of some of the above, and a little bit of running to boot. But during the week, I would like to manage my time a little bit better. So, in July (because June is almost over), I would like to try to do one of each of those things above for an extra hour a week. Whether it's travel to The Mission for a burrito, or taking a lunch time walk with the big camera, or "cooking" a new type of salad, I want to keep doing the things I love.
Because lately I've found myself focusing on doing one or two things wholeheartedly, and therefore the others have taken a back burner. I don't necessarily need to dial back on the one or two, but I just need to manage my time a little bit better. So hopefully July will be the month of better time management. I do have things planned for every July weekend, so I will not have much extra time, but I do want to make the most of what I have!
Do you ever find yourself putting certain things on the back burner in order to focus on only one or two? If so, what suffers? If not, how do you manage it all?
Of course I do.
Right?
Because really, running has taken over a lot of my other habits. That and work. Last week I spent about 10 hours running (not including preparation and/or cleanup) and about 55 hours at work (including getting to and from). But you can't blame it all on these two factors; it is also tiredness, or laziness, or just bad time management in general.
I used to travel. Now I only get 2 weeks off a year and I am mostly using a few days here and there tacked onto weekends in order to, you guessed it, go somewhere to run.
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| Borocay |
I used to read. Now I read for a half an hour a day on my bus ride home. Work makes me too tired to read very much, plus I don't have time to use the internet at work, so I tend to do that in the evening instead of reading.
I used to cook. Now I make big batches of stuff over the course of one or two days and then I just eat the same thing over and over (and over). I find it is better on my wallet and my stomach that way. Also it gives me more time to relax (or run).
I used to take photos. With the big camera. Now I ride the bus every day and I don't want to carry it with me so I just use my phone as a camera, if that.
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| Minneapolis |
I used to take walks or go to the gym at lunch. Now I have been skipping lunch, eating at my desk and not seeing much of the light of day.
On the weekends I am doing pretty well. I am still making time for a bit of social time, a bit of some of the above, and a little bit of running to boot. But during the week, I would like to manage my time a little bit better. So, in July (because June is almost over), I would like to try to do one of each of those things above for an extra hour a week. Whether it's travel to The Mission for a burrito, or taking a lunch time walk with the big camera, or "cooking" a new type of salad, I want to keep doing the things I love.
Because lately I've found myself focusing on doing one or two things wholeheartedly, and therefore the others have taken a back burner. I don't necessarily need to dial back on the one or two, but I just need to manage my time a little bit better. So hopefully July will be the month of better time management. I do have things planned for every July weekend, so I will not have much extra time, but I do want to make the most of what I have!
Do you ever find yourself putting certain things on the back burner in order to focus on only one or two? If so, what suffers? If not, how do you manage it all?
I think it's the ebb and flow of life that makes us focus on certain things while others fade, even if only temporarily. I don't think having one main focus is necessarily a bad thing, although we're all striving for balance arent' we?
ReplyDeleteLaziness gets me - just too tired and lazy to start something new. But it isn't usually a problem for me - I always have too much going on and too many projects!
ReplyDeleteI do this all the time but things just change over time. I used to spend way more time cleaning the house, now it's a little more relaxed (but not a terrible mess by any means). I used to spend a lot of time working on the outside of the house and that has shifted as well, but starting to feel bad about that one and need to devote some more time to it so something else will give a little.
ReplyDeleteI have several hobbies other than fitness and sometimes one takes over the other. One thing I have been neglecting is studying French and I need to get back to that soon.
ReplyDeleteI put reading on the back burner for awhile and me time on the back burner and I am slowly trying to add it back in before I have to head back to work full-time!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. It's so easy to get wrapped up in a routine and forget to do all the other stuff that you know you love and that makes you equally happy.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely hard to manage it all. If only I could hire someone to clean and cook for me then I would have more time for the things I actually like;)
ReplyDeleteDo you really need any other hobbies besides running? and do you really want to go somewhere that won't allow you to get a run in while you're there? I vote no and no. I go to the beach, I run on the beach. I go to the mountains, I swim at the hotel pool (ha! hills). I'd rather celebrate the beauty of knowing what's important to you and what you really enjoy rather than beat myself up over not having enough variety.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling like I'm in a similar boat to you. Running is taking up SO MUCH of my time and energy as is work. I have had post-work events once or twice a week (or more) for the last 3 weeks straight! Plus summer just usually means a fuller schedule in general. I also have barely cooked or read during the month of June and it's making me wonder what my end of month recap is going to include!
ReplyDeleteHi there! Discovered your blog through Stephany's & immediately noticed how much we have in common (just based on your blog name, ha!) I can totally relate to this though. There's so much that I love to do but I don't make enough time for, usually because I'm working or doing something else that takes up all my time. I wish I had more hours in a day to do ALL the things I love, but the truth is some things really do take the backburner when you've got a one track mind.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many things I would love to find time to do but it's tough to do it all. There have been times when I tried to do too much and I ended up frustrated. I have priorities with things on the back burner in case I find myself with a little extra time. Running is a priority. I would also love to find more time for reading, photography, and scrapbooking.
ReplyDeleteI think we all go through times where things suffer, but I try and make sure myself, my family & our health takes top priority...we TRY.
ReplyDeleteYes, I definitely feel like I put a lot of things on the back burner when I was studying for the CFA. I still read, and I ran (well, until I found out about my injury), but running wasn't a focus at all and I just got in enough miles to maintain my weight. And I really didn't cook much, even on the weekends. I'd just make the same things over and over and over again because mentally I just could not handle figuring out a new recipe. I thought my life would regain some balance this summer when I was able to run again, but that's not happening anytime soon and while I have more time now that I'm done studying, I've lacked the motivation to look at new recipes and such...
ReplyDeleteHope that things normalize for you soon so you can spend more time doing some of the other things you love to do, in addition to running! I loved seeing the Minneapolis picture, by the way.
I definitely find that in marathon training- you just can't do it all!! That dazed look sentence cracked me up... I know the feeling. :)
ReplyDeleteKy...Great post! I found myself smiling and bobbing my head up and down. I like your outlook. Sometimes detours can really help us, but we must continue to do the things we love and "only look back to gain perspective"(found that on a bathroom wall in Nedlerland, CO):))! For me, I WILL get back to reading since vaca begins on Thursday. I got lost this year;(
ReplyDeleteBecoming a parent definitely made me put most of my hobbies on the back burner. I had a hard time figuring out how my workouts fit into my new life. I stopped reading. I stopped watching most of my favorite shows in any sort of timely manner, if at all. I no longer had time or money to go to the theater on a regular basis ... or to keep up with the latest/best restaurants. But, I embraced the change. I can always go back to those other things, but I won't ever get early childhood back with Gavin. Now that he's 2.5, I am cobbling together my life again and figuring out how to balance it with a very active toddler.
ReplyDeleteI found myself putting things on the back burner too and instead of spending time in the evenings catching up on blogs I would settle down with a good book and read while Allan played video games. I do need to make more time to take the dogs for more walks/runs. Lucky has been anxious to stretch his legs on a long run so I need to make time to take him.
ReplyDeleteNice read.. Most people are experiencing the same, especially when you have children already, but you're right it's all about time management.. Thanks for this share...
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