Thursday, April 5, 2012

E is for Energy & Exhaustion

On the way to work today I was complaining about being so tired all the time.

"But it's not like I go to bed late!" I said. "I just don't understand. I have no energy."

My friend, car-pooling buddy and fellow A-to-Zer Elise set me straight. "Sari, you're the busiest person I know. OF COURSE you're tired. Duh." Maybe she didn't say 'duh'. She's a bit too classy for that. But it was something along those lines.

And my response? "Oh yea." Duh.

In 2010 I was a banker and I wrote and blogged in my spare time. I was miserable. I came home every day feeling completely deflated and I was starting to hate life. BUT it was good for me because it made me really think about what I want out of life, and I realised that was not going to be found in banking.

I wanted to work with books.

Within four months of that discovery I'd moved with my (freakin awesome and supportive) boyfriend from Auckland, New Zealand, to Melbourne, Australia, and enrolled in a post grad course in publishing and editing.

And now? I am ...
   working full-time as a publishing assistant for Pearson,
      studying part-time doing a post-grad diploma in publishing and editing with four assignments to do at the
        moment,
          doing an internship for Entangled Publishing reading slush and writing MS assessments (usually
            a couple of MSS to read a week, sometimes more, sometimes less),
              doing another internship copyediting short stories for Aurealis (an Australian sci-fi and fantasy
                magazine),
                  aaaand somewhere in between all that finding time to read, write, blog and have a life.

Obviously some of those last few have suffered - lack of blog posts in the last while being exhibit A.

I want to make it clear I'm not having a whinge. I put my hand up for all these things - possibly got a bit overenthusiastic - and I enjoy them. But it could explain why I'm feeling so exhausted all the time.

The good news is, it's Easter! And I've taken all next week off work! Yay! I can't take time off from uni assignments and internships, but at least I'll have more time to get them done, and I like reading slush anyway. It's interesting! And like Heather, the editor I intern for, says, it's like having a bookshop in your inbox. :)

I still haven't figured out what bunnies have to do with Easter,
but this one is cute so I don't care.
Looking forward to feeling energised and more time rich during my holiday.


I you so busy you're feeling drained? How do you manage your time? Do you fit everything in that's important to you, or have you had to make sacrifices?

16 comments:

  1. Enjoy your well deserved break!
    A bookshop in your inbox, how lovely that sounds! :)

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  2. I thought bunnies were representative of Easter because they are one of the most procreative/prolific animals.

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  3. Great post - thank you for sharing! :)

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  4. No wonder you're exhausted! I think you're so brave for going out and following your dreams. That is amazing. I've had to make small changes here and there--changing my work schedule, blogging less. It helps a lot!

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  5. I tend to be exhausted a lot and wonder why... And then I remember that I have 4 young children. They practically exist to drain your energy away.

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  6. I have had a very low energy level for quite some time now. I have learned to manage it by realizing one thing: listen to your body, Syl! When my body wants to rest, I rest. When my body is energetic, I dance. It is a completely new way of living, but it suits me :)

    Greetings from the A to Z trail,
    Sylvia @ Playful Creative

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  7. I totally know what you mean. I've been exhausted for years. And that is not an exaggeration. Anemia is hard. However! The doctor says I'm not anemic anymore, so now I just need to learn to go to bed before midnight when I have to get up before seven. XD

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  8. No wonder you're tired! It was so brave to change your life like that, but it sounds like it's turned out to be a fantastic decision!

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  9. Loved your entry! It was fun to read as was your blog. In fact, I[m following it! Have a look at mine if you've the time, and thanks.

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  10. Wow! I'm exhausted just reading your schedule! I hope you enjoy your week off and have a blessed Easter! Good luck this April!

    Dusty

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  11. It's wonderful that you are able to follow your true passion. You must have excellent time management skills to be able to do everything that you're doing.

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  12. Happy Easter Eggs!! I'm glad you took my comment on board! :)
    Btw, cutest bunny EVER!!!!!! Hope you have a lovely, relaxing week off. xo

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  13. Phew! I'm not surprised you're exhaused! Have a good Easter, Sari :)

    I recently started thinking about the Bible. Not being very religious I kept pushing the thought away. It wouldn't go. So I sat and went with it.
    What came out was the bit about working six days and resting on the seventh. It makes good sense, recharges the batteries and allows a chill-out. I need to take note 'cos I get horribly tired and then can't sleep.

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  14. I'm trying, in what is probably the final quarter of my life, to avoid exhausted. But it's hard when you want to accomplish a lot of things. So, hey, go for it. It's better to wear out than rust out. I'm trying to visit all the A-Z Challenge blogs this month.

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    1. "better to wear out than rust out"
      Love that, Sharkbytes!

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  15. It's so hard to keep up with all the things we have to do. Life is like one big to-do list. I think the best thing we can do is some exercise, some vitamins, some sleep and, every once in a while, some days to do absolutely nothing but read and watch TV.

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