A HUGE thank you lovely bloggers…

OK listen up peeps because I have lots to say today.

Firstly a HUGE thank you to all you lovely bloggers who came to my aid yesterday with your tips in my quest to find a better balance with study and life.  The wisdom you shared has given me much to think about, and even better than that a plan.  He’s what I’ve come up with…..

Firstly it’s good to know that I’m not alone in trying to manage the eternal struggle.  Gilraen highlighted that it’s important to pinpoint where the stress levels hit the roof and suggests thinking of things in life that you can ‘hand back’ even for a short while.  This is also echoed by Caridwen who suggests making peace with the fact that life is cyclical, also imparting words of wisdom not to ‘sacrifice yourself not the Mommy alter’.  Kana also acknowledges to having learnt that in achieving balance you have to let go of stuff – you can’t handle everything all of the time. Phil identified with feeling exhausted by the time he got home, finding that exhaustion and trying to take on board new learning and thinking is not the best combination – his solution to this was to set the alarm, get up early and, in the quiet time when the house was sleeping, he found a productive window for study.  Lorna offered words of wisdom in identifying non negotiable important family time and ‘must do study time’.  By doing this you can achieve a balance that means that you feel you are there for your family 100% but also are able to feel you are 100% student.  All of the wisdom you shared also had a thread running through that highlighted that having ‘me’ time is crucial and as Lorna pointed out ‘in the balancing act we often forget the performer (ourselves)’.  The lovely Joanna also came up with a good suggestion for holding onto these important study thoughts and breakthroughs that come unscheduled first thing in the morning or last thing at night – keep a book beside your bed and jot them down – that way they don’t disappear into the world of sleep or morning bleariness.

So thank you all – as a result of all your suggestions here is my game plan.

1. Two or three times a week I’m going to set my alarm for 5am – giving me protected quiet study time.
2. I’ve acknowledged that my timetable manages me rather than me managing my time – I’m going to rejig this so that the balance between study time and family time is more obvious to all – including me!
3. There are things that are going to have to go on the back burner now and then – and that’s OK.
4. I need to have ‘me’ time.  I’ve said before that there are books I want to read (and the list is growing). I’m going to schedule in time to take myself off to my lovely bedroom and immerse myself in the books waiting to be read and enjoyed.
5. I now have a candle on my desk….. I’ll explain that one.

I picked up this little tip from another Open University student. You see part of my challenge I think is a boundary one. I share a work/study space with my teenage son and part of the challenge is that this gets confused with ‘talking to mum about stuff time’. Last night we negotiated that if the candle on my desk is lit then it’s study time. It’s ok to interrupt me to ask for help with homework, but any other chat has to be saved for another time. This seemed to have filtered through on a level although he did say, “What happens if the candle accidentally blows out – does that mean I can talk to you?” Maybe we still have to do a little bit of work on that one, but I’m sticking with it. Also it’s a scented candle so it’s rather pleasant actually.

Quite a few of you also talked about work living in your head and that learning happens when your driving, have a quiet minute in your day etc. I know for me I can often squeeze in a bit of reading, half an hour here and there. The difficulty for me is that lugging about my books is having a serious impact on my back problem. So, I’ve decided to look into buying a Kindle or the likes which allows me to carry around my reading without looking, and feeling, like a sherpa. This would mean that my bag of a day would look more like this….

rather than this….

My husband, in his wisdom has also scheduled some time away for us – in March we’re off to Madrid and in May to Milan. A small Kindle like thing will mean that I don’t have to give over all my luggage allowance to books and I can remain up to speed with my reading – hence reducing the stress of leaving my studies behind and truly being able to enjoy my breaks away.

I also have a couple of other BIG thank you’s to make as two lovely bloggers have passed on some awards to little old me. Vix at Stay Out of My Head nominated me for the 7 x 7 Link Award, which I’m very grateful for, particularly as she is a lady after my own heart.  Her blog is wickedly funny and then some – certainly worth a click on her ‘subscribe’ button.

Secondly last night I received an award from Lorna at Lorna’s Voice.  Lorna has followed my blog since the days when I took my first baby steps.  She is a hugely talented writer with a plethora of well deserved awards. I am very grateful that she chose to pass on to me the “One Lovely Blog Award’, an award which she indicates recognises a blog that makes you feel good after you’ve visited it.  How nice is that!

I promise, once my university work is submitted to get around to the lovely job of passing these awards on, but meantime I know you will understand that I need to prioritise my writing time (gosh I’m starting to sound like a lady who is managing to balance study and life eh )

Finally…..yes Im getting there – stick with me, I folk you I had a lot to say. I wonder if you have noticed that WordPress have issued us all with Annual Report for 2011 on our blog.  Having only been blogging since April I am staggered to learn that if my wee blog were a New York City subway train it would take 7 trips to carry the number of people who’ve read my blog (or at least viewed it)!  In addition to this I learn that the subscribers to my blog are pretty far-flung – I had no idea…..

UK, Italy, Netherlands, France, Portugal, India, Israel, Malaysia, Philipines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, US, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Argentina, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Botswana, Tunisia.  So to all of you…..

If you haven’t already checked out your Annual Report you will find this on your Stats page just above the bar chart.  Your report also comes with a nifty little fireworks display where your posts are represented by fireworks akin to the number of views each post had.  Some days I admit were a bit of a damp squib for me but others, well I was fair tickled to see the sky lighting up.

Go check it out, it’s fun to see.

Passing on awards post coming before the end of the week