I sat down and calculated that I spend 40 hours at work and another 25 hours at school, over 7 straight days each week. I sleep an average of 5 1/2 to 6 hours a night. About an hour to an hour and a half a day is spent commuting to and from work or school. That leaves 54 hours a week or 7.7 hours a day for me. And some of that is spent doing stuff like homework, showerin’, shitin’ and shavin’, eating, or vegetating in front of the tv or computer.
I’m almost half way through the cooking program at school. The management program is just a month behind that. It’s amazing how time has flown by. I’ve adjusted mentally to the grind, but physically I’m still challenged. Saturdays and Sundays are spent standing for the better part of 8 1/2 hours, literally whipping through the preparation and cooking of six dishes a day, so much so, I couldn’t even tell you what we’ve made.
Round about 1:00 each day, everybody hits the wall, where fatigue just overwhelms you. But it’s shortlived because there is still four more hours of cooking. Sunday is a real bitch because of the exhaustion from Saturday. Then the wall comes at 11:30 or 12:00. And I am soooo not a morning person. When that alarm clock goes off at 6:30, my body still aches while my mind realizes I’m starting my seventh consecutive work day of a week that never really ends. It just melds into the next.
Monday morning brings some relief because at the office I don’t have to work as hard. But I also don’t get home until after 9:00 pm because that’s one of my three management class nights. There’s often reading due night to night.
If I had it to do over again, I would have done this twenty years ago when I had more stamina. But I wasn’t really focused enough to do it then. I am now and fully accept the fact I have to endure this in order to get to where I want to be later.
The saving grace is I’ve got lots of time off from my paying gig that I have to take. Vacation is Decemer 16 to January 2, but I’ve still got some classes in between so it’s not a total time off. I’m just gonna sleep late and do a lot of nothing.
P.S. Did I mention I’m maintaining an “A” and got 100 on a quiz Sunday? If I’d worked this hard from kindergarten through college, I might have made something of myself!
4 comments ↓
That sounds like a LOT of stuff to be done, and I’m with you. That stuff has definitely got to wear you down. Looks like you balance it well too, which is a definite plus. I know quite a few people who couldn’t do even half as well as you do. Keep it up.
I’m worn out just listening to your schedule. I seriously respect your committment to reaching your goals. Good on you.
It seems quick on this end too - congratulations! I’m mentally preparing myself for the grind of full-time work and school, as well. More than half the battle is committing to it. Once you “get into the groove” it’s amazing how the body takes over and you end up on auto-pilot.
I could really use a Decemer 16 to January 2 break, though.
Congrats on the quiz…. enjoy that time off from one of your many activities. So, I guess you’re like me missing a lot of the sports events… good thing there’s ESPN. Dec 16 to Jan 2 off?? Dayam.. you’re making my Dec 24 to Jan 3 look bad.