This post is based on organising life, which is one of my favourite topics to write on. It speaks about managing your life when you work in a full-time job. You are so occupied that you find it difficult to squeeze in time for yourself and your friends and family. You can't even accommodate to do your basic tasks in your daily hustle.

I received a request from a friend who solemnly cribbed about how she faces this problem. She further added how she cannot make time for staying fit, meeting her friends or managing her tasks due to the overpacked schedule. If you relate with my friend and have a similar issue, then continue reading.

Before we begin finding a solution, we must analyse the problems we face while working 10-7. The problems would vary depending on your timings and probably the kind of job you have. But, more or less, all our problems can be clubbed together and divided likewise:

I think the biggest concern, especially after understanding how passive we've become and the kind of junk we eat is losing fats and staying fit. We sit at our desks the whole day, casually munching on chips or doughnuts. We do try to burn down fats by having a cup of green tea religiously, however, under the rose, we know that it's not going to suffice alone; we know that we need to get our bodies working. Therefore, we try our best to join a gym or probably, unsystematically perform yoga in the morning before we leave.

The top of the heap way to tackle this problem is to work out at home. You don't require fancy gym-wear or a gym membership or an accomplice for a jog. All you need is about 15 minutes of your morning time.
On weekdays, instead of waking up at the usual 6 o'clock, wake up at 5:45 am and exercise. You need to cover all your body parts. Firstly, start with stretching, followed by 12 Suryanamaskars. Then, work on those abs: Go for 30 situps and three more sets of other stomach exercises. Next, cardio exercises: 200 jumps would be enough. Lastly, work on your arms: Do push-ups depending on how much is your capacity. And then, reverse push-ups and mountain-climbers, again depending on your capacity. By following this 15-minute workout, you concentrate on your entire body. And, I always believe that it is better to work out a little regularly than to not move your body at all.

Apart from that, on weekends, you can go for a jog in a nearby park with your friends. This could be a perfect dose of refreshment as you combine working out and finding a solution to problem number 2 at the same time.

If you haven't been bugged even once by your friends saying how busy you are and how you don't have enough time for them, then I wonder, are they even your friends? All of us are taunted by our buds every now and then. Few of us religiously make time every weekend for drinks, but not everyone is a regular drinker. And, when you're working in a full-time job, I'm assuming you're already in your mid-20s, where you don't have just one set of friends. You have school friends, society friends, junior college friends, grad and postgrad friends, work colleagues, and your better halves to spend your weekends with. And, on top of that, if a friend from abroad is visiting your city, then an impromptu meet is added to the already long list of the catch-ups.

➾ SOLUTION

On weekdays, if for once you are free by 8:00 pm, you can meet your partner for a date, a movie or just binge-eating chaat. Once a week, you can catch up with your friends instead of your partner.
On weekends, according to the number of groups you're a part of, prioritise. You can meet your fast friends every month, you can meet your casual friends once every two months, and so on. The best way to rebound could be going on weekend trips. You can camp, trek, or simply rewind in a resort; hire a villa, or once every three months, go to Goa! The best way, eh?

SPENDING TIME WITH FAMILY & DOING HOUSEHOLD CHORES

Doing a full-time job, meeting friends and spending time with your partner is relatively done easily, but you know what you're missing out on? Your family. We're so used to the idea of weekends and finally chilling after a week of work, that we feel we're ought to have fun every weekend. But, when you're out, partying or simply having coffee with friends, your parents are in the dire need of spending time with their children. Just sit down and reflect, how many weekends have you spent with your family? Having breakfast or lunch together is fine, but then, have you been giving yourself to the family lately? If the answer is yes, you're doing a great job in balancing life, my friend; but if you're not, then, time to alter your schedule a bit.

➾ SOLUTION

When you plan for a weekend getaway trip, don't forget to include family getaways too. Once every six months, you can do a family outing. Put a leave of five days, and go on a family vacation somewhere. It's a nice way to gel up with them. You learn so many new things and understand that they have developed new habits over the months. You also realise they're getting old as they're not as active as they used to be. Another great way is to sit down with them every night and share your day and ask them about theirs as well.


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So now, in a gist, if I have to divide my problems and make a schedule, then this is how it would be.

(Just a disclaimer: Not everyone has their Saturdays off and this post focuses on those individuals that have their Saturdays working so it's fair for everyone.)
Since one of the two days of the weekends you have a job to go to, it means you only have one day––which is a Sunday––in a week to crunch in all the things.

This section basically tells you how you can manage your weekdays and your Sunday in such a way that you are able to kill all your problems.

WEEKDAYS

So let’s talk about weekdays first: What can you do on weekdays that can help you make the most of them?

WRITING YOUR DAILY TO-DOS

Firstly, carry a diary every day to the office. And, I suggest you carry a diary that you would really be using; something you would love using. For instance, if you adore cute hearts, then go for a pretty diary. If you’re a Potter Head, go for a Harry Potter themed diary and so on. The second thing while choosing a diary is its length, breadth, and the weight. The thicker the diary, the more reluctant you will be to carry it. So pick a diary that has lesser pages.

If you’re not a fan of the blue and black inks, then you can use coloured-ink pens. I really love those by Uni-Ball brand; they're brilliant!

So once you’re sorted with a pen and a diary, you can start noting down the tasks. You can also divide them according to the priorities: The topmost would be the highly important ones followed by not so important and then the least important that you know are not timely. When you keep a little diary and a pen with you every day, you are aware of your game; you know what is supposed to be done when.

WEEKDAY MORNINGS: EXERCISE!

Again on weekdays, as I mentioned in the first section, you can work out and stay fit by utilising the mornings. I don’t care if you leave your house at 7 o’clock, you must work out for 10 to 15 minutes in the morning. It’s so easy; you don’t need to join a gym for that. Honestly, it’s all about moving your body which you were not able to because of your overpacked schedule.
Next, to keep up with your water intake or to ensure that you’re not eating anything junk, you need to avoid eating outside food. Even if you do, make sure it's a healthy dish. The best way is to carry tiffin from your home––and no, it's not uncool at all! If due to some reason, you're not able to carry a tiffin, then join a tiffin service. Every day, a guy delivers you a lunch box which has rotis, rice, sabzis, dals, etc.
And when it comes to drinking water, keep a one-litre bottle at your desk. It doesn't matter how many times you're visiting the loo. Just screw what others think and drink as much water as possible.

WEEKDAY NIGHTS: KEEPING OUTFITS READY

Last but not the least is keeping your outfits ready the night before work. It’s simple; just keep out the top, the bottom, the accessories and the lipstick, and you have a little extra time next morning, which you can utilise for working out.

WEEKENDS

Now comes the point where I will talk about how to manage your Sundays. So if you have Saturdays off, then that's amazing! But, if you don’t, then you only have one day a week. So, let's assume that your Saturdays are working and Sundays are off. In this section, I will give you tricks on how you can make the most of your Sundays. (Psst! You can apply the same trick for Saturdays if they're off for you!)

Let's divide our Sundays into three time zones:

WEEKEND (LATE) MORNINGS

I am aware that Sunday mornings are usually spent sleeping. There's no harm in doing that and I say, continue sleeping till 10:00 am on Sundays. Once you’re awake and back to your senses, you can dedicate the slot after for self-pampering. You can paint your nails, wash your hair, put on a face mask, and so on. Then, once you're fresh after a nice shower, it is time to help your parents with the household chores. Make sure that every Sunday, you cook lunch. I know your mom makes delicious non-veg food on Sundays, but then, you're an adult now; you need to take over responsibilities. Learn your mom's secret ways of all the chicken and fish recipes, and who knows? You might beat her in that? 

WEEKEND AFTERNOONS

Next, in the afternoons, you can organize your life. Well, just turn on the air conditioner and start organising your room. You can declutter your closet, your bag or whatever clean-up you need in the house. You can dedicate each Sunday afternoon according to these chores. And after all this, you can take a nap for an hour, followed by having tea with parents.

WEEKEND EVENINGS

As mentioned earlier, you can spend your evenings meeting friends and your partner. You can club two things together: meet your friends and partner at once, or shop with your friends, or jog with your partner, or run errands with your friends, and so on.


How do you manage your time when working full-time?