Do it all? Good god! I can't believe I ever thought I could.

So as mentioned in an earlier post, I quit my job of 11 years and am taking a 6 month sabbatical from working. I don’t want to trash my previous company, it was very very good to me in many ways and there are many reasons I could have stayed and continued to do well. I was just tired, exhausted really, and unable to concentrate on any of the fun stuff in life.

And in the three weeks that I’ve been off so far, I already am amazed at how much stuff there is to get done and how the hours fly by. How in the hell did I do it all? I mean just think about all the stuff a person is supposed to get accomplished to have a “full” life. Even forgetting the stupid magazine-type articles that state impossible criteria for having a fulfilled life, the basics (disclaimer: this is my list of the basics that are necessary for a fulfilled life) are overwhelming:
• Be in a relationship and actually have fun in it
• Have some hobby that is mentally stimulating (reading/writing count)
• Have some hobby/program that provides physical exercise
• Have a relatively neat/clean house and yard
• Be conscious of the food you purchase and consume and what it does to the environment as well as your body
• Be politically aware enough to make intelligent choices in both your purchase choices and your votes
• Be culturally aware enough to have entertaining and intelligent conversations with a wide-variety of people.
• Be handy enough to take care of basic household tasks
• Have well-cared for and happy cats
• Keep abreast of existing and upcoming technologies to take advantage of them
• Simply relax and get enough sleep and mental downtime

That’s pretty basic stuff, right? But it’s an exhausting list to accomplish when you’re working 10-11 hour days, being constantly conscious of what’s going on at work, and always think about the next step. And what about personal projects? Where does that fit in? Anything from simply cleaning out a basement to learning a new and challenging skill. Where does that fit in? It can be done, I am determined, but not without stopping now and again and ensuring you are covering the non-work stuff. But I definitely am getting to know why most powerful people have either a stay at home spouse, or the equivalent hired assistant. When I go back to the workforce, given my tendency to bury myself in my work, the fiancé and I are going to look into hiring an assistant!

That’s what the six months off is about. Figuring out what I like to do, what I want to do, both work and non-work, and what’s worth spending time on.