The Writing and Photography Blog of Kevin J Sabo

As much as it pains me to admit this, I’m spreading myself too thin.

Between working full time, a trio of boards I volunteer for, two university courses I am currently taking, and my photography, my downtime is at a premium and I have fallen off my health and fitness regime.

At the start of the year, I planned to pick up a second university course just so that I could begin working my way through my degree that much faster; unfortunately, that’s not working out the way I was hoping.

My English course is slated to end at the end of June and I have zero possibility of completing the final module, essay, and final exam before I reach the contract end date. Fortunately, I do have the option to extend the course a couple months, which I am going to do.

My Psychology course, which I am also enjoying, has also proved to be a slog. I will hit the halfway mark for the course at the end of June and I am barely one-third the way through the course. If I have to, I will extend it as well, so that I can finish it strongly.

Going forward, as much as it pains me, I think I am going to stick to one course at a time. I’d love to be able to do two, but with work commitments and everything else I have on the go, it’s just not going to work.

There was a time when I would be gutted by this. There was a time when I would have seen this as a failure. However, it’s not that time anymore.

While it’s not ideal, or the outcome I was hoping for, it is the most realistic choice before me; there are only 24 hours in a day and I can’t go all day, every day. I do need downtime as well.

I know I have nothing to be ashamed of; I’ve been maintaining at a high level for quite a while. Stepping back and only taking one course at a time isn’t a failure; I’m considering it a tactical reset. I believe it will be better overall for me if I can focus on one course at a time in addition to work, rather than the two.

One bonus with where I am taking my schooling is that the six-month contract is a maximum course length, without paying for an extension. There is no penalty for completing a course early. If I can get myself into a steady routine going forward, I can still finish more than two courses a year, provided I find the free time to finish early.

Ultimately, I am in a good place right now, and I need to do what I can to keep myself there. It’s time to do a light reset on what I am doing, get back into my fitness regimen, focus on work, get through these courses, and quit spreading quite so thin.

Kevin