Juggling act

So it has been 8 days of being back full time. Yup.. 8 WHOOOOOOLE .  LOOOOOOOOOONG . BOOOOOOORIING days. In all honesty the transition hasn’t been bad. There’s a few emotions of this not being the ideal situation for me at this point in my life but that has nothing to do with the juggling act of being a good mom and a good worker (anyone recall this post where I passed along sage advice given to me of not being a good mom and a good worker? HMPF!). In an ideal scenario I’d be at a role that challenged me and right now things are a bit slow, humdrum and completely unchallenging. This might be for various reasons 1) It has only been about a week! Onboarding takes a bit longer as old projects get tied up and new ones are given to the ‘newbies’ 2) I spent the last year pushing limits and trying new things that challenged me, going back to a role I’ve done for 4 years and can do with my eyes closed will obviously pale in comparison. 3) I’m still battling with doing my own thing vs. working for a corporation.

But hey! Along with the good comes the ugly and in my case they’re pretty well balanced right now, so I can’t complain much. Juggling is something I’m good at and better yet, something I enjoy. Keeping busy keeps my mind from having to think wandering and let me tell you.. that’s a good thing. I need a good harness to keep me on the right path.

The GOOD about being back at work

• Schedule: I’ve got a great routine going that ensures that we all get a great night’s sleep, I get to the gym every morning and that we get a lot of family time in the evening (perks of pushing the Little Monkey’s bed time to 8:30 / 9:00 p.m.)
• Healthy Eating: Not being at home means I eat well balanced and healthy meals. Shake for breakie, portion controlled lunch and a fresh dinner made nightly. No more wandering into the kitchen and tossing crap into my mouth, just because it’s there!
• Process: Being back at work means my compulsion for trackers and spreadsheets are back! Organization at its height! Now I don’t need to create small trackers for useless projects like our travel and household chores. Everyone’s happy (as long as those chores get done and people meet on time that is!)
• Wider daily network : I was active on mat leave, ensuring we went out and did something every day, but being back at work means being exposed to over 50 additional people (thoughts, ideas…) on a daily basis. Surely this is a good thing… right? Right?

The UGLY about being back at work

• Schedule: Everyone is asleep when I leave home at 8:30 a.m.! That makes me grump. Very unfair me thinks. What say you?
• Willpower: Working in the booze industry and in an office that’s filled with meeting after meeting means there’s always treats and delicious eats everywhere. Oh the willpower it takes to only cheat ONCE a day!
• Control: I am no longer my own boss. I can’t roll out of bed and decide what the day ahead is going to comprise of. Instead I roll out of bed, check my crackberry to see scheduled meetings and then check my personal phone for my tweets. I no longer call the shots.  I no longer choose who I interact with and when.
• Time crunch : Everything needs to be done on time and to perfection. Especially if I am to balance all the extracurricular projects I have on the go, family and friends and all the randomness in between. I can’t just sit and soak in the minor things in life, like the Little Monkey’s first full day of walking (no crawling at all!).

I’m off to join the circus and enlist myself as a juggler!