Can't keep up with my life

LegacyUser

Does anyone else ever feel this way, and any advice on how to deal with it??? I basically feel like i'm constantly chasing my tail with life. I feel this constant sense of "whats next" and that there's always something else needs to be done. I look at people who are always picture perfect, groomed perfectly every day do a days work, go to the gym whatever and just seem to have time for everything and wonder how the flippin hell they do it. Don't get me wrong I do socialise in one form or another at weekends etc, but then feel guilty if I haven't got everything organised. To make matters worse my mind is on the go constantly reminding me off all the things I want/need to do, all day every day, it's exhausting. I'm not happy with my job and a few other things with my life at the moment so I guess this is not helping. Aaaahhhhhhhh !!!!

MintyDoris

OP, would you say you procrastinate?

I would feel similar to you when I was unmotivated and this would make me feel even worse so the cucle would continue Once I got up and actually started and finished a task without cutting corners and felt proud of the results, this feeling generally subsided and if I ever do feel like that now, which is rare, I know what I need to do

LegacyUser

MintyDoris wrote: »

OP, would you say you procrastinate?

I would feel similar to you when I was unmotivated and this would make me feel even worse so the cucle would continue Once I got up and actually started and finished a task without cutting corners and felt proud of the results, this feeling generally subsided and if I ever do feel like that now, which is rare, I know what I need to do

I guess I do but I work full time, i'm doing a part time degree and go to the gym so it's not like i'm not doing anything productive

Catch_22

try having a read of "getting things done", google GTD, it helps getting you out of the situation where your woken up in the middle of the night by things you must / forgot to do.

Little Acorn

BuzyBee wrote: »

Does anyone else ever feel this way, and any advice on how to deal with it??? I basically feel like i'm constantly chasing my tail with life. I feel this constant sense of "whats next" and that there's always something else needs to be done. I look at people who are always picture perfect, groomed perfectly every day do a days work, go to the gym whatever and just seem to have time for everything and wonder how the flippin hell they do it. Don't get me wrong I do socialise in one form or another at weekends etc, but then feel guilty if I haven't got everything organised. To make matters worse my mind is on the go constantly reminding me off all the things I want/need to do, all day every day, it's exhausting. I'm not happy with my job and a few other things with my life at the moment so I guess this is not helping. Aaaahhhhhhhh !!!!

Stop comparing yourself to other people, you are only seeing and focusing on the things you want to do or be yourself. For all you know their life could be very hectic as well and they have had to sacrifice some other things to be able to go the gym or appear perfectly groomed all the time etc., for all you know they might have a mountain of housework to do, finances to sort, family plans to organise, or assignments due for work or college, they just choose to take some time out to do the things that you see them doing.

Or maybe they are just not as busy as you and really do have more time. In fairness I would say you are busier than a lot of people. You have a full time job, you are studying for a degree, you maintain a social life and still find time to exercise!! I think you are being very hard on yourself for feeling guilty for not having more time to do things.

If anything I think you should take some time for yourself to chill out and relax. Even if it is only for half an hour or an hour a day, do something just for you. Read a book, have a nice long bath, get a massage, watch your favourite tv show, play a games console, go for a walk or swim or bike ride - whatever it is that you enjoy doing. I know this may seem like very unproductive advice, but I find that if I have some small amount of peaceful time to myself I am actually more productive when I get around to doing the more mundane tasks as my brain is less frazzled.

Make a list of what it is that you feel you are lacking in or want to achieve. For example you mention people appearing to work perfectly groomed, - you could arrange your outfit just before bed the night before including any accessories you like, and what hair or makeup items you plan on using. This would speed up the process in the morning.

You could save cooking time by making a dinner that will last more than one day like cottage pie, stew, curry or lasagne and you could also keep a few portions for lunch which would save you having to prepare a lunch or queuing to buy one.

You could ask for help in the college about making a study timetable, focusing most time on the subjects you find most difficult and spending less time on the subjects that come easier to you. I think every college has a study aid officer who could give you advice.

You could assign different days for different household tasks, for example
"On Friday I will do the shopping",
"On Monday I will pay the bills",
"On Wednesday I will clean the bathroom for 15 mins"
"On Saturday I will vacuum the landing and hallway for x minutes "
"On Sunday I will do my laundry"
"On Sunday night I will make a rough plan of outfits for the week and adjust them accordingly each night"
"On Thursday night I will make a rough meal plan for the week before shopping 2moro"
"On Tuesday night I will go to the gym at 7pm for 1 hour"
"On Wednesday I will study chapter 10 of x subject"
etc etc etc.

Try to break things into easier little chunks instead of trying to get everything done at once. When making a plan for yourself try to make it realistically manageable and something that you can stick to.

Don't feel alone either. Very few people are perfectly organised, and most of us feel like you do some of the time, but it is not healthy to feel constantly under pressure. Stop beating yourself up too much.

marizpan

Gosh. Your making me tired just reading this! Your work load is very high. Your being too hard on yourself.

LegacyUser

Thanks guys for all the responses, maybe I am too hard on myself. I expect a lot of myself so get frustrated when it doesn't materialise

dellas1979

I worked full time and did a masters parttime (over 2 years). So I can sympathise with you there.

Now, I wouldnt be the most disorganised person anways, but it was alot on. And I accepted this. The only way I could manage was to keep an (organised) diary everyday of things I had to do that day, things that if there was time I could do or maybe the next day. Everything went in it from when I had to study/write up something to housework/chores etc - everything went on that list. Even shopping. Paying bills. It all takes up time. If you break things down, they dont seem as daunting.

I also realised that I couldnt say "yes" to everything, like nights out and social events. Of course I wanted to go to them, but if there was something else more pressing I'd to do or the following day, Id give it a miss. If it was a night I really wanted to go out, or just to let off steam etc, Id go.

So maybe you could give that a try. Just remember, noone can do it all in 24 hours. You are a normal human being, not super human!