on juggling

I've been thinking about this post since Monday when I started back to school. As many of you know, this is my first semester of the nursing program at UT Tyler.

I want to share some of my thoughts on juggling. I know this is a concern that most women share, and probably most men, although I think men probably spend less time thinking/worrying about it. Now that I'm actually in the intensive part of my nursing education, I find myself worrying even more about how I will "get it all done".

How am I going to balance being a student with being a mom, wife, etc? Here are the areas of my life which I really focus on:

1. being a wife
2. being a mom
3. being a student
4. going to church
5. time spent on myself

I would also like to add volunteer work and daily exercise to the list.

Right now, I feel like I'm not reaching my potential in any of these areas.

I don't spend much quality time (or time at all) with Aaron (mostly due to our schedules, but also due to other factors). I don't feel like I spend enough quality time with my children - time that is focused on them and what they want to do. My apartment is a wreck. I don't consider it dirty (except maybe the kitchen), but it is definitely messy. My house is not giving me warm hugs as FlyLady would put it.

Last semester I was not a good student; I was an adequate one. Now that I'm really learning things that could later mean the difference between life and death I have to buckle down and do more than "just pass".

I haven't truly made God a priority in my life yet. I go to RCIA every week, but it's hit or miss if I go to Mass. I'm not spending enough dedicated time in prayer.

I probably spend too much time on myself, but it's not spent doing things that really matter to me. Instead, I waste most of it fiddling around on the internet looking for something to look at.

I really feel a call to volunteer in the pro-life movement, but I have yet to make this a true priority in my life. I never exercise.

So, how am I going to improve my juggling act? I think the keys are prioritizing and organization. I have to keep writing lists (I'm a huge list writer), but I also need to follow those lists. I need to waste less time doing fruitless things. And finally, I need to work on the concept of being present (which I'm going to blog about in my next post).

What areas are you juggling in your life? Do you feel successful?