I recently started working at Fossil at a local outlet mall. I have been there about 2 months now. I've worked some, here and there, but this is my first official job. Yes, I am almost 19 and this is my first real job. I have been truly blessed to be able to wait this long before starting work. I know so many teens start working as early as 15 and I respect those kids so much! Unfortunately, apartment rent in Columbia isn't cheap. I am saving all of my hard earned cash and trying not to spend a penny of it!
Now that you've got the set up, let me fill you in on my thoughts of balancing life and work. Since I have started working I have noticed myself using so much more energy. I find myself wanting to go to bed earlier and earlier each night. I am by no means a lazy person but at the same time, since I graduated high school in 2010, I haven't done quite as much physical activity. This in itself is an issue that needs to be addressed! I am sure the word, "nap" instantly comes to mind. A nap can be a great thing but it can also throw your body out of whack. A short nap is good and will re-energize you. Longer naps tend to throw off your sleeping pattern. Long naps will often lead to one laying wide awake in bed at night. Nap wisely! I have found that going to bed at 8:30 can greatly help my fatigued body and mind, but who really wants to go to bed 30 minutes after the sun has set? I propose that you look at your schedule and scout out the consecutive days you work. Say you work 3 days in a row, on the 3rd night you will probably be the most worn out so you could try to hit the hay a bit earlier that evening. According to Laurel Vuckovic, the earlier you go to bed, the better. Getting to bed early at least once a week will greatly benefit your stamina for work!
When you work odd hours or just have a very busy schedule it can be difficult to keep your social life up to par. A planner can come in handy when looking for free time. I use the calendar on my iPhone to be able to quickly view my free days. I am lucky enough to have friends whose houses I pass on my way home, allowing me to call them when I get off work to see if they want to hang out. Other times I will make plans to spend time with friends on my days off and sometimes it is necessary to request off work. Just the other night I went to a softball game to watch one of my best friends play. Afterwards we were supposed to go to iHop to meet some others. I was reluctant to go because it was going to be at least 10 by the time we were done, putting me home around 10:45. I was going to head home but of course my friends were not giving up that easy. I ended up going and I had a great time! I was incredibly happy that I chose to go. This kept me out later than I would have liked, but spending time with friends who will all be moving away in a few months was well worth being a bit tired the next day. Now I am contradicting myself! A paragraph ago I was telling you how great it is to go to bed early and now I am telling stories about going against my better judgement and staying out later than I would have liked. It is up to you to decide your priorities. There is only a limited amount of time available to me to spend with my friends because, come August, we will be moving out to go to college. Time with my friends is incredibly important to me so risking being a bit sleepy the next day was well worth it. Take a minute to review your schedule and pencil in some time for friends and family and time for whatever else may be important to you. Some things are worth losing a little sleep over. Sometimes you just have to use that last bit of energy to have some fun. You will be glad you did!
Don't let work consume your life! It will zap you and steal all of your energy but with a few simple changes you can be back on your feet and ready to take on each and every work day! Rest is key in having the energy to succeed. Make wise decisions when it comes to heading to bed or staying up an extra hour to watch a movie. Balancing a social life and work can be tough, especially when your energy is depleted. Every now and again you have to muster up what energy you have left and go have some fun! When using your free time it is important to have priorities so that if you are going to spend your time, you spend it doing something you wont regret.
Timmy-2-Shoes
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