The Insanely busy club

Once upon a time, I was out of school, unemployed, and seriously depressed. I vividly recall sitting on my couch, wondering how the heck I was going to fill the hours of yet another day.

In effort to get myself going, I wrote a book, I applied to school, and I became "a volunteer whore." There was no project or committee that I wasn't on. Before I knew it, I was balancing a masters degree, a job, writing a book, and working on other group projects and committees.

Good move on my part—all that activity and social engagement put an end to my depression and answered that vexing question of how to fill hours in a day. The pendulum swung hard in the other direction. Now I wake up and wonder 1) how I am going to get everything done and 2) where on earth I will find the strength to do so.

Honestly, sometimes I like to feel all smug and self-important because I am so busy. But more and more, I'm thinking about the things I'm missing: reading a book for fun, waking up without an alarm clock, playing games with my sisters, taking extra long walks with the dog…and all without feeling like I ought to be working.

I do love my work and genuinely enjoy putting in the time, I love my feelings of accomplishment, and I do not miss those depressed days on the couch. I'm starting to crave the middle ground. But how to balance those work hours with play hours? Anyone else in the insanely busy club?