Doing too much

[cjsmith]

Around the turn of the year I took on a few new projects:

1) A real exercise program -- not the "I'll hike once a week and pretend to be fit" idea. Currently, I have a program that recommends five days a week of cardio workout and five days a week of weight training - can overlap those two fives in whatever pattern I want.

2) Learn C4 (trying yet again).

3) Clean up the stuff Rick left behind. Today we estimated how much time it would take to go through it all, from the first sort to final disposition of everything. We decided two weeks of work for both of us, if I took vacation from my job so we could both do this day AND evening, would just about do it.

Along with my other time commitments, this is a strain. I'm not sleeping enough. I'm never relaxed, even when I try. I'm afraid I'm not giving full measure at work.


Here's how my day could look:
8am - out of bed
8:30 - at the gym, working out
10am - at work, showered
7pm - leave work
11pm - get ready for bed

Advantages:
Almost nine hours of sleep
Only one shower per day

Disadvantages:
Sleep schedule totally out of whack w.r.t. Rob's. Every night, fight for the right to go to sleep on time; every morning, get dressed silently in the dark.
On Wednesday, when I have an hour-long appointment plus driving at lunchtime, this doesn't give a full work day.
On Thursday, when I call for a square dance club in San Jose, I get no dinner.
Can't do anything that involves staying up later, like bi coffee or hanging out with Chris, without losing sleep.
Won't work after February 8 because my commute gets longer.
The evenings have to cover studying C4 and cleaning up Rick's mess, and dinner of course, and maintenance stuff like bills and laundry, which doesn't leave a whole lot of me time or couple time or fun time.

I think it's just not doable, and the major time sink is the workout (and associated travel).

Here's how a REAL day looks - how 'bout today:
9am - wake up
Spend supposed workout time looking in vain for missing tickets
10am - at work
Noon - leave for appointment
1:30 - back at work
5pm - leave for dinner
6:45 - concert at Stanford, assuming they let me in without tickets
11pm - probably get home
Feed the cats, clean the litterbox, find my passport, pack for weekend trip, talk to Rob
Probably get to sleep around 1AM

Or a generic Thursday:
9am - up
9:30 - at gym
Skip half of workout
10:15 - at work, showered
Maybe get lunch, maybe not, if so it's a short work day
6:30pm - plunge into traffic via a Wendy's
7:30 - start calling
10:30 - back home
Feed cats, clean litterbox, study C4?, clean Rick's mess?, talk to Rob
Probably get to bed around midnight

Something gets shorted each time, usually by about an hour. Ideally I'd only need eight hours of sleep... but that's not reality. I keep waiting for the beneficial effects of exercise on sleep to kick in. But they haven't, and I can't wait any longer. Something has to give.

Plus I need another painkiller again, @#$!it.

Comments

[cassidyrose.livejournal.com]

When I am exercising a lot (which is typical) I still need my 8-10 hours of sleep. When I am working full-time and doing this my sleep averages 7-8 hours, with the occasional 6 hour night on the weekday and 10-12 hour night on the weekend. I can't function very well on much less sleep than this. Of course, I am also on two medications which make me sleepy and my level of exercise is far above "maintenance level"--it is really training-level, so I am pretty much sore all the time and exhausted after dance.

What works for me is to have a night in the week "off" from everything--For me this is Wednesdays--I don't have bi-group/coffee or dance. I can make it through sometimes knowing that I can just rest on Wednesday and sometimes socialize. I also have Friday nights free so that helps as well. What I might suggest is cutting the weekday workouts to 3x a week and adding a weekend morning or afternoon. You'd be down to 4 workouts a week, but you would also have two weekdays free from trying to fit the in the workout, and I believe you would still be getting the benefit of a workout--Hell, 3 days a week of both cardio and weights should be enough to get you a goodly amount of workout benefit.

I would not suggest entirely cutting out the workout as, for me at least, it helps keep my stress somewhat manageable and it also helps be sleep a bit better.

I hope you can find some control and de-stressing soon--::hugs::

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Catching up on sleep on the weekends works for me, too. This year I am booked for just about ZERO square dance weekends -- those are what usually throw a big monkey wrench into the sleep-catch-up plan.

I like the idea of a night "off". Wonder if I could sell the idea to important persons in my life. Good thought. Thanks!

And thanks for the good wishes for control and de-stressing soon! :-)

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Could you exercise (and shower) while on your lunch break at work instead of going to the gym? That might buy you some time. I also realize it might not be practical.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Good thought. I have a default lunch partner who stands me up about 50% of the time. Just bailing on that plan is an idea I hadn't considered before. More grist for the planning mill, thanks! :-)

[wcg.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

On my previous project, I'd take whatever was left over from the previous day's dinner in with me to have something edible around throughout the workday. I typically didn't eat it all at once, but would eat a bite here and a bite there. Would also go out for a couple of 10-20 minute runs if the weather permitted, and did aerobic stuff in the building the rest of the time.

Unfortunately, my current project makes all that a lot harder to do. Different location, no sidewalk to run on, etc...

But if you can manage it, I think you'll like it. Makes for a very nice break in the workday.

[ambar.livejournal.com]

Um. Plan in a packed lunch the night before a short day, so you can eat-at-desk rather than running around or going unfed?

Also -- everything I've ever read about weight training says alternate weight days with rest days. That means 4x/week max. I think if it were me and I were serious about wanting to work out every single day, I'd simply alternate cardio with WT. See also: http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html

Don't know. Although I have all the time in the world (comparatively speaking, fnord unemployment fnord), I'm coming to realize that I need to zone out my day so that the stuff I really need to get done, gets done. I'm resisting like hell.

G'luck on the destressing and decluttering part. Maybe cut that back to 15m/day? It moves your 2 week goal back, but it sounds like something's gotta give before you do.

*hugs*

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's weird that my personal trainer didn't tell me to alternate weights and cardio. I see him on Friday -- yikes, that's tomorrow already! -- and I'll tell him how poorly I'm doing on the plan he put together, and ask for something more moderate. (Little voice inside says "failure". CJ attempts to QUASH little voice.)

G'luck on the destressing and decluttering part. Maybe cut that back to 15m/day? It moves your 2 week goal back, but it sounds like something's gotta give before you do.

Yeah, small bit each day or occasional big bursts on the weekends. Fortunately, there's no sense of urgency on this one. I figure phase 1 (get all the stuff out) "feels" like we "oughtta" do it, so it'll be done in a couple months, and phase 2 (move into resultant space) will take the rest of the year. That's OK with me.

*hugs*

Thanks!!

Looking at this journal entry, I am SOOOOOOOO GLAD I don't have children. I do not have the required time management / life management skills! (Much less the psychological balance required to raise healthy happy ones, which is a more honest reason for why not.)

[tytso.livejournal.com]

FWIW, you're psychological balance is a lot better than a lot of folks I know, including some who have chidlren.

And good luck with trying to find the time to exercise. What I find is the more stressed I am, the less I get an adequate amount of sleep, which in terms affects how much exercise I can do or am psyched to do.... and that in turn tends to lead to being less able to deal with stress, so it becomes a vicious cricle.

But it *is* possible to break it, never fear!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

DUDE! I didn't know you hung around these parts! (hug) One more for the friends list -- may I?

better than a lot of folks I know, including some who have chidlren

Scary, that. I won't get into my rant about why we need to take a test to drive a car but ANYONE can procreate, with the attendant seriously huge potential for @#$!ing up other human beings' lives.

[stress/sleep vicious circle]

Yeah. I just gotta take control here, not sure how yet, not sure what gets dropped yet, but it's gonna happen. Just a matter of time...

(BOY do I need to quit my job) (but that's another topic)

Good to "see" you!

[tytso.livejournal.com]

DUDE! I didn't know you hung around these parts! (hug)

Yeah, I guess I've been reading live journal entries since November or December. I think Ambar mentioned livejournal while she was in Boston, and as I started browsing I started found more and more people I knew with journals.

One more for the friends list -- may I?

But of course!

[needing to pass a test to drive, but not to procreate]

Well, fortunately babies and children are remarkably resiliant creatures (or this species would have gone extinct a long time ago), but your point's well taken.

Good to see you!

Likewise! (Hug)

Alas, now that I'm not working for VA, I have much fewer opportunities to come out to California. If I get to go to Usenix in Monterey, maybe I'll make a point of taking some vacation and taking the time to visit folks in the Bay Area while I'm out that way.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess I've been reading live journal entries since November or December. I think Ambar mentioned livejournal while she was in Boston, and as I started browsing I started found more and more people I knew with journals.

Yeah, I ran into Ambar not too long ago and was surprised to see her here as well. I like LJ :-)

Well, fortunately babies and children are remarkably resiliant creatures...

One of the things that impresses me about human life, actually, is how resilient we ALL seem to be. It's amazing how adaptable humans are. Pretty cool when I think about it.

Alas, now that I'm not working for VA, I have much fewer opportunities to come out to California. If I get to go to Usenix in Monterey, maybe I'll make a point of taking some vacation and taking the time to visit folks in the Bay Area while I'm out that way.

That'd be cool! When's Usenix? (gak, I've been away from the Unix world Way Too Long)

[tytso.livejournal.com]

Usenix is June 10-15th, so I'd probably stay for
maybe half a week or so afterwards. Got a guest bedroom I could borrow? :-)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Love the userpic - that bear looks like he's wearing a tie!

Yes, oddly enough, probably we WILL have a guest bedroom by June! Unbelievable! It's yours if you want it. Warning: I may be pretty busy and unable to "play host" properly. Let me know for sure when you decide!