Scheduling Time for Yourself

In between an overbooked schedule of classes, research, and work, I sometimes feel like I hardly have time to breathe. And when I do, most of my free moments are spent daydreaming about the weekend. So when two of my close friends asked me to go on a pumpkin spice latte run with them this afternoon, my response was "sure let me check my calendar, I'll pencil you in." I thought nothing of it until I opened up my Google Calendar to reserve a mere hour of friend time. Then I thought, since when have I gotten too busy to take time for myself, for a cup of coffee, for a nap? Okay, maybe the days of naps are long gone, but I could surely squeeze in a latte here and there. Maybe even a trip to the mall. Instead of always "working for the weekend," I could work and sneak some free time in here and there. 

At first, I was mortified at the fact that 25 year old Liz had to pencil in time for Starbucks. It just felt all so adult to me...all so...boring. But after enjoying some laughter with my friends & catching up on all of the great endeavors they're taking on, I realized that while I would have cringed at the thought when I was 18, maybe having to schedule in some 'me' time isn't so bad. Maybe it means I'm doing the right thing - trying to balance some time for friends and myself in between all of the havoc.

And it doesn't hurt to have great friends to remind you that all of your craziness is going to get you somewhere in life. Sometimes, a reminder to stay focused and remain grounded is as simple as scheduling in a pumpkin spice latte.