Confessions of a Workaholic

It seems this year is pretty industrious for me. When it started out till May, I thought maybe this was it, and it can't get any busier than that.

I mean working on average 18-22 hours, plus 8 hours of french lessons and 6 hours of lessons, with the rest of my human social life being devoted between term papers, tutorials, marking and friends. I still managed to squeeze in a couple of networking sessions, business meetings and the sort to get my research rolling. I thought that drafting proposals and applications (that are 20 pages long) was going to be the highlight of my year.

Apparently not.

From May to July, I was filled to the brim with field work, a long-planned holiday with my best friend (the only thing I'm not complaining about really) and a quick shuttle back to Singapore for a couple of weeks in August, I'm back to London for a week conference. In between this shuttle, I had to somehow make time for a report writing that was as long as my honours thesis, prepare a presentation for said conference and line up my nights with auditions. Not to mention keeping some time to meet friends for birthday dinners and/or a tryst once in a while. I mean a girl's got to have (safe) fun right?

So before I completely bore you with the rants of why I'm so busy, I do have a point in all this.

I will get busier.

The next half of the year will be filled with rehearsals for a full-fledged play, writing my thesis (yeah it's just couple of 10k, should be fine...not), and organising a inter-university theatre workshop. Of course, that's also inclusive of laying down the creative and technical groundwork for the huge ass March production...

I have learnt that time is really a scarce resources, and I'm now much much MUCH more careful as to where I invest my time in. Recently, I find myself growing impatient with incompetence and obstinate people, as well as latecomers. I also find myself much more discerning as to who I meet, for how long, and for what purpose. I'm not saying that I become a diva and therefore dictate that every follow my schedule, but I'll admit that I'm falling into the trap of being busy and overly-committed such that I don't focus on what I need to do first - which is to write my damn thesis.

Okay, so to take a breather, I think it's equally important to know our limits right? I used to think that because I'm really really used to juggling to many things at once, it's become almost a habit to not say no to new projects. But at the same time, I am mindful to plan my rest times and play times - as well as more importantly, "me" times.

So this is a public apology to everyone, my friends and family, or even potential friends of the future. Please don't assume that I'm too busy to the point that I am unavailable to meet up - because nothing means more to me than your cherished company. In fact, calling me up and out is a reminder that I need to get some time off from whatever I'm doing. As strange as it sounds, please whatsapp me and remind me that I have a social life out there.
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A lot of people have whispered behind my backs, "Why can't she just take a chill pill and stop doing so many things at once?" 

I am still anxious and worried for my future, and I will always be. In a sense, I'm letting myself "play" as well, by taking up theatre to widen my social circle as well as open myself to other forms of work. I won't apologise for taking up so many commitments  because I know I can juggle and handling more things actually sharpens those management skills. But like all things, there must be a balance, and in this way, I'm also human - and I'm trying.