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I initially drafted this article at the end of my contract as a database admin/copywriter at a healthcare corporation. At the time, I was working full-time there, as well as part-time on the evenings and weekends at Cincinnati’s Tony Award-winning regional theater , doing needlework commissions and working for a couple of freelance clients. Add that to writing this blog [which, admittedly, I did little of] and preparing to record an album for The Minor Leagues, and I was perpetually exhausted and hungry and sleep-deprived. My sanity depended on the seventeen cups of cofee I consumed daily.

This summer has been a huge change. The theater is closed for the season, so I’m not working there anymore. And my job is comfortably full-time: thirty-five to forty-five hours a week. I still have client work, but balancing it isn’t as difficult. And TML is on an informal show hiatus until we finish the album [target date: Labor Day weekend], which is hard work to be sure, but not as grueling as twice-a-week three-hour practices that bled into our sleep time and shows that made us leave work early to travel there on time. In short, this summer has been the perfect time to relax, focus on what’s important to me, hang out with the dog, write some fiction, and get lots of rest.

But. BUT!

In three weeks, I’ll be back to my old antics: the Foundation during the day; the Playhouse at night; freelance work squeezed in where I can; and a caffeine dependence of massive proportions. So you see, this old article I wrote and then filed away has become relevant again. This time, I know what I need to do to stop myself from going insane.

  • Don’t do it unless you absolutely have to. If you can work normal-person hours and still be reasonably well off, out of debt, and happy, do it. Don’t push yourself this far without a really, really good reason. For me, these include paying off debt, making a huge purchase [new MacBook], and saving up for a move to a much more expensive city [do you even have to ask?]. You’ll have to make this determination yourself, but think long and hard before you get into this kind of schedule.

  • Delegate, prioritize, and declutter. If you’re working eighty-hour weeks, you’re not going to have time to keep your place spotless. You’re also not going to have time to blog daily, be in the gym a couple hours each day, surf the Internet, or make art. You wouldn’t [or shouldn't, anyway] choose a schedule like this unless your finances were your absolute top priority, so if they’re the top priority, let some things slide until you get them back in order. It’s okay. You’ll have time. My version of this tip means making Chris do the laundry more often, cleaning my apartment about half as often, potentially hiring someone to groom my dog [because it's time-consuming and messy and the cleanup invariably takes all day], and watching quite a bit less Law and Order and Veronica Mars. [A real sacrifice, let me tell you.]

  • Have an end in sight. I’ve been working multiple jobs off and on since the beginning of my adult life. The expiration date on this round coincides with when my work at the Foundation is done, at which point I’ll be moving back to the city that I call home. I can never do something like this longer than about four months. Do whatever works for you: “As soon as I finish this client’s project, I’m quitting this gig.” “After the end of the school year, I’m not coming back.” “I’m quitting when I have enough money to put a down payment on a house/buy a DSLR/adopt another dog/go to Europe.” Do not, do not, do not do this indefinitely. You will burn out. You will make yourself sick, and you’ll probably hurt your relationships. And speaking of…

  • Figure out ways to support your friends and be social without going out every night. Not an ideal way to be a friend, I know. That’s why I’m stressing that this should be temporary. But until you get your finances in order, this is one way of prioritizing [see above]. Last spring I went weeks without going to my friends’ shows, parties, open mic nights, or DJ gigs for more than a few minutes. All the people who are closest to me are well aware of the situation, though, and I make it a point to send out texts of the “Good luck! Let me know how it goes! xo” ilk so they know I’m not completely forgetting about them.

  • Rest when you have the chance, because you might not get it again. On the rare night that I have free time before 1 a.m. during these phases, I usually go to bed. Your mileage may vary. I’m finding that I need a lot more sleep than I did in college to be functional as a copywriter.

  • Multitask. Your commute is time that you can work on your blog. Your lunch break is time that you can shoot an email to your mum. This isn’t an optimal strategy for Getting Things Done in the strictest sense, but let me reiterate: this is a non-standard situation, and you’ve got to do the best you can.

  • The temptation will be to indulge in caffeine. Don’t do it too often. Sleep is often the first thing to slide when your schedule gets crazy, so the natural reaction to lack of sleep is to suck down a couple of extra cups of coffee a day. The thing is, while you’re doing that, you’re developing a tolerance, and those two extra cups will turn into six cups in a matter of a week if you let it. And I say this as the ad hoc poster child for caffeine additionc: it’s not ideal. It does a number on your skin, it makes your heart race, it makes you retain water, and it’s difficult to think articulately if you’ve had too much. So save the shot in the dark for absolute emergencies and instead, drink extra water, eat protein and fruit, and do some yoga in your office. [True story: people walk in on me doing the downward dog all the time. I act like it's no big deal.]

How do you deal with busy schedules? Do you or have you ever worked more than one job?

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