How I Balance My Four Lives

There are PR Samples in this post. See the end of post for the disclaimer and for a discount code!



If I'm not thinking about one thing, I'm thinking about another 4-5 things instead. My life is a busy and hectic one, there's so many things going on, it's sometimes a little overwhelming. 


Life is a balancing game, it's up to us to find the right balance to make our lives a little easier and a little less frantic. 


I have four different lives to juggle. And no, I don't mean a husband and kids. I'm talking my blogging life, my CF life, my work life and my general life. Juggling four lives isn't easy. It's like being in the circus and being the juggling act and trying to keep four balls in the air without making an absolute mess and dropping them all. 



These quarters of my life are with me on a daily basis and there's no way I can take a break from one permanently. Well, blogging I could but there's no way I would want to because I love it so much. I wish I could take a break from Cystic Fibrosis but that's not possible. I wish I could win the Lottery so I wouldn't have to work anymore but let's face it, you got more chance of being struck by lightning than getting six numbers in the Saturday night draw. And obviously life in general is going to throw stuff my way as, let's face it, no life is perfect, I may as well suck it up and deal with those obstacles. 


Things may get a little overwhelming for me sometimes, but as long as I can handle whatever each life I have has to throw at me, I should be ok. It's just about making sure I prioritise what needs doing and when. Here's how I handle each aspect of my life -


CF  LIFE
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Cystic Fibrosis means I have to be on top of EVERYTHING in terms of medication, treatment, exercise, cleaning nebulisers, going to clinic appointments, ordering prescriptions...yep, the list is endless. It's safe to say my life would be a whole lot easier if CF wasn't in it. The key thing for me to stay balanced in this quarter of my life is routine with my medications, treatments and keeping track of my medications by checking what is due to run out and when. Filling my tablet dossett box is seriously one of the highlight of my week since buying a new tablet organiser during lockdown



BLOGGING  LIFE
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Since lockdown, I've been immensely productive with my blog and I've been loving getting creative and I've become a lot more organised with it. I've even been doing things which are SO unlike me. For example, I've been planning and finishing a whole MONTH'S content in advance. Who even am I?! Is this even me?! I've never done that before. No seriously, NEVER. I always make a space in my day for blogging. I look at what needs doing and which task is the most urgent. If I have a post that needs to be published on my blog, I'll concentrate all my efforts into that. I'll also make time for the daily blogging admin eg replying to emails, commenting on others posts and replying to comments. Yeah, being organised in blogging is definitely important!



WORK  LIFE
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This is a tricky one to write as I don't have a WFH job and I haven't been in work for months due to the pandemic. I work part time in a play centre and the days I work are so hectic! I have to plan everything around my work day as there's no way I can just pop up the laptop and write a blog post or puff on one of my nebulisers whilst one of the customers is waiting for her caramel latte and ham and cheese baguette. Planning my meds and blogging around my work day isn't easy. Obviously I know that my meds have to be done regardless before my head hits the pillow at night. When it comes to blogging, like I said in the last paragraph, I kind of look at what needs to be done urgently. I try and do the task the day before is possible, but if that's not an option, I set an hour in the evening to get it done so there's no need to panic the next day, especially if I'm working the next day!



GENERAL  LIFE
________
As well as balancing my CF, blogging and work life, I've got to deal with just life in general. You know, normal people's problems. You know, just general life admin, nothing special. I think my general life is focused around the three other parts of my life, I think my general life isn't really my top priority as the other three have taken over my life anyway! But there's stuff that needs to be done such as making a phone call to somebody (something I NEVER look forward to) , paying bills or cleaning etc. Yep, pretty boring stuff.



Now, if you're wondering how the hell I fit all this in a normal 24 hour day, I will give you the honest truth - I have absolutely no idea how I do it. I just seem to find the time and fit it in the hours that I'm awake for. One thing that does help me is having a planner and to do list to comply to. This is why I love this planner from Mal Paper. Not only is it a great planner to help me keep track of what I need to do, there are spaces for me to write my daily affirmations and also the 3 things I am grateful for. It's allowing me to make goals and give more structure to my busiest of days. 




One thing I do love about this planner is that you can buy it any time of the year as the month calendar pages aren't printed with the months already. So you could buy this planner in the Summer and not worry that you'll only get six months out of it. Genius idea.


For 15% off this planner, use the code BRSPECIAL15 at the checkout to get your hands on this amazing planner. 






How many lives are you juggling every day? Let me know!



*This planner was sent to me from Mal Paper in exchange for a blog post. All planning views are my own. For more information, please read my disclaimer

48 comments
  1. That planner looks so good for organisation! I loved reading this post and seeing how you try to balance everything. You do it so well! x

    Lauren | itslaurenvictoria.co.uk

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    1. It really is Lauren! There's so many different planning sections in there, I can't wait to get super organised with it! x

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  2. Oh wow, I can hardly juggle my 1 life let alone more than 1! That planner looks lovely 😍

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    1. I don't know how I do it myself Ellie!
      Yes the planner is the best!

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  3. Its hard juggling and balance act isn't it? But you seem to handle all aspects so well! I love how that planner doesn't have a date set in it. Perfect for organising how you want.
    Thanks for sharing Lucy!

    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

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    1. It really is Aimsy! Thank you lovely, that means so much! Yeah that's one aspect of the planner that I love, I could start it now and it'll last me until next August which is great xx

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  4. This sounds like a great planner. I've got one that's very similar and I couldn't be without mine. They literally help me get through each day.

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    1. I'd be lost without some sort of planner Kelly, it really helps keep my life in order!

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  5. You have so much going on sweetie, I hope you get plenty of time to sit, get some time to yourself and relax!

    Danielle
    https://www.thereluctantblogger.co.uk/

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    1. It's hard making that time for myself sometimes and it's something I need to be better at doing!

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  6. Ooh, I can never resist a new planner 🤓

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  7. I love that diary! I need one to write everything down in and I use mine a lot to plan out my blog content. You are really busy, it must be hard to keep up with everything! X

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    1. It is so good, I'd definitely recommend this planner to bloggers! x

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  8. With juggling that many balls, a good planner is essential! No way would I have a clue where I was at without my planner.

    This one is gorgeous. Great for keeping track with blogging x

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    1. It's safe to say that we'd be lost without a planner Claire! It really is great, I'm getting all my goals written down and it's amazing how much I've gotten done from using it! x

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  9. The juggle is SO hard isn't it! I have a baby and a husband added to the mix and it's so difficult. Weirdly I've found it so much harder adjusting to going back to work after being on furlough/lockdown than I ever did after maternity leave. It's strange! I could definitely do with something like this planner though, I need to get my life in order. Haha.

    Claire.X
    www.clairemac.co.uk

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    1. Oh Claire I can only imagine how hard it must be to balance everything in your busy life! How's it been going back to work lovely? I'm going back in ten days and I'm a little nervous as I'm vulnerable to the virus.
      I'd definitely recommend this planner lovely, it's so good in keeping me organised! x

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  10. I love the look of that planner! It can be so tough trying to balance your different lives, I find it quite tough to find the right balance between social media life and general life sometimes. Prioritising your tasks is so important to try and keep a balance x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. I love it Sophie! That's a balance that is hard to get right isn't it? I never really thought about that when writing this post! Absolutely, prioritising is so important x

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  11. I love this. I hate writing but try to plan my life and time wisely using my calendar and Google Sheets whenever I can. It's not easy by any means and I'm certainly struggling recently however. I feel like I have more than one life too so it's been great getting to know yours more!

    Kate | thelittlecrunch.co.uk

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    1. That's a great way of being organised Kate! I think it's safe to say that we all have more than one aspect of life to take care of!

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  12. I need to pick up this planner, I love how you can input the months yourself as I always forget to use my planners! You seem to be doing a great job at managing your four lives, if you ever need a break from one of them you should take it - you definitely deserve it x

    Emily | emiliamarlowe.co.uk

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    1. Yeah that's one feature that I really like about this planner Emily! Thank you so much lovely, I will take the break when I need to! x

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  13. I completely agree, juggling all this can be so hard! Over lockdown I spent more time on my blog but still hard to manage working full-time! I keep saying im going to get a planner to purely dedicate to blogging and this one looks perfect x

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    1. Well done you on managing your blog whilst working full time Hannah! I would definitely get this one lovely, it's so good at keeping me organised in blogging x

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  14. I'm loving this planner too. You've got so much on your plate, it must be essential to stay organised!

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    1. Yeah it's important for me to keep organised, there's always something going on!

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  15. i THINK YOU HAVE A GREAT BALANCE. It is important and I use a planner on my phone or write on my phone note.
    https://www.melodyjacob.com/2020/08/what-do-you-do-if-your-partner-has-mood.html

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    1. Thank you Melody, I'd be lost without Notes on my phone sometimes!

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  16. Halo.

    I am amazed by the planning that you organize.
    I give support so that you can adjust the balance between blogging activities and your daily work routine.

    Good luck and greetings from Indonesia.

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  17. Currently, I'm only juggling "three lives" -- school, general, and creative endeavours -- but very soon I hope to get a part-time job which will add a "fourth" life! I admire the way you manage to keep this all together! Planners are such a lifesaver, for sure. I bought one last year and have been using it properly ever since. Now, I don't know how I ever went without it! I keep a seamless, colour-coded system for everything, and it works so well!! xx

    brineandbooks.com

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    1. You're going to be busy very soon then Macey! Good luck job hunting lovely, I hope you manage to find one soon! Planners are so good for organising your life aren't they?! I love that you have a colour coded system, that's such a brilliant idea! xx

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  18. I have been thinking of using a planner sometimes, as the diabetic life, work life, blogging life other stuff is hard to plan sometimes ;)

    Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes

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    1. I would definitely recommend getting a planner Nic, it's so good at keeping me organised x

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  19. I feel like we as bloggers have so many different lives to live and sometimes it can get a little overwhelming. It was fun to read about how to manage yours.

    Nicola | Nic's Healthy Life

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    1. It can get a little overwhelming Nicola, but as long as you find that right balance in managing everything, things don't seem so burdening x

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  20. That planner is so cute! And, wow you have to juggle so much in a day! x

    Zoey | www.zoeyolivia.com

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  21. Love the planner! I feel like I need to use the planners I have more so I don't get so muddled up with what needs doing. It definitely can be so tricky balancing the different parts of life, a few years back I probably wouldn't have thought that general life could be so so busy with cleaning, paying bills and making sure I make myself 3 meals each day! I think trying to balance my full time job alongside my blog can be super tricky sometimes - but I feel like I'm handling it okay at the moment xx

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    1. Yeah they're really good at keeping me organised Chloe! I think as kids we don't realise how busy our general life will be and how much we have to do for ourselves! You seem to be handling things great Chloe, keep going! xx

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  22. I love this planner! Although we have different lives going on, I still find it hard to balance work, school and blogging with my eating disorder. Thank you for sharing how you cope. It's really eye opening to see how you're coping. You're so busy and still nailing life. Well done, and keep going. You're so strong and such an inspiration!

    Em | www.loveemblog.com xx

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    1. It's so good Em! I hope you are coping with things well lovely.
      Thank you so much, that means so much to me! xx

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  23. The planner is so cute! I definitely need to get myself organised when it comes to my blog. Recently I feel like I've been more disorganised than ever with mine and I have so much time to spend on it as well! :')

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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    1. It's such a great planner Faye, I wouldn't be without it now! x

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  24. Wow this is such an interesting post! I love the look of that planner aswell!

    Amber | The UnpredictedPage

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    1. This planner is so good Amber, it's great for any blogger to use for planning!

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