A reader recently asked for a glimpse into my schedule, a look into how I get it all done.  This has had me thinking a lot as I’ve been faced with long work days followed by coming home to two lonely dogs and a severely neglected marathon training schedule – the truth is, I don’t.  I can’t get it all done anymore.  There just simply aren’t enough hours in the day.

Balance is something I have struggled with a lot since moving out to Chicago (almost) a year ago.  The balance between work and life and the blog – it hasn’t been easy.  Before I moved to my new apartment, work and the blog had taken over my life.  I was living five minutes from my office, outside of the city and I knew no one – it was all too easy to spend all of my free time holed up in the apartment, which of course, gave me plenty of time to blog.  Moving to the city has given me a life again, which ends up leaving me with less time for everything else.  Every weekend I set the ambitious goal of writing and scheduling an entire week’s worth of blog content and most of the time, it just doesn’t happen.  I feel terrible about neglecting the blog and not being able to read and comment on as many other blogs or spend as much time interacting with friends and readers on Twitter – I wish I could have an extra five hours every day (that’s what I’ve determined would be necessary), but it’s just not in the cards.

So my advice for getting it all done?  Don’t worry about it so much.  Make lists and be realistic about your priorities.  Take time for yourself and schedule some alone time into your busy schedule on a regular basis.  Recognize the fact that there are only so many hours in the day and you are only one person.  Set goals and stick to them, but don’t set too many at a time.  Appreciate the little things and be grateful for all that you have, always.