As I said in my last post: “There Is No Place Like Home“, we’ve moved back to Iceland at last. And although we do miss some dear people we met, we haven’t regretted the decision for a single second. This was absolutely the right thing to do. However, it’s been crazy crazy busy. And not just since we got back but also for a very long time before that. So very busy that there is this feeling of exhaustion hanging over me, not quite taking over but still lingering, threatening to do so if I’m not careful. And it’s my fault really, because I was optimistic enough to really think I could do it all. Well, I guess I overestimated my abilities!

You see, for some reason, I thought I could handle working from dawn to dusk for 5 months to finish my Master thesis, then go straight to packing all our belongings for the moving container that would arrive 10 days after handing in the thesis, then live in an empty apartment for two weeks while studying for the thesis defense, having to entertain two kids with … well… pretty much nothing!… then fly straight to Iceland right after the defense where the boys would go to their new kindergarten and I on my new job only three days later. And let’s not forget the part about adjusting to being back, meeting everyone, trying to get rid of the moving boxes one by one and all those other things, such as cooking and cleaning (have to admit that this hasn’t been very high on the priority list lately) that also takes its toll. So yeah… I don’t know if optimistic quite cuts it. Out of my mind sounds more like it!

Then of course, there’s the issue of a new job. For the past two years I have been working on my graduate studies and been quite busy. Or so I thought until I started working again about a month ago and I feel like I hardly see my family anymore. before I say anything else, I want to tell you all that I think I’ve landed the perfect job for me – something I’ve wanted to do for years. I’m a managing consultant now in a small but ambitious consulting agency in Iceland. And what’s more, the first month has been very promising. I like my coworkers, I identify with the moral values the company stands for, I like the business environment, and I love how diverse and challenging the assignments are. So that is not the problem. However, it always takes some time to get into a new job. And although I do believe in my abilities, I feel like I’m so slow that it’s bordering on slow motion, I feel like I’m confused all the time, and well… quite frankly, I sometimes feel plain stupid. It’s a battle of keeping up with everyone else, grasping everything that is being said and what’s more – understanding it! :) And I know that it’s perfectly normal to struggle a bit when you start a new job – I guess most people do – but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t like it. And so, I’m working hard to get to a level where I feel a little more comfortable – a process that takes both time and effort.

Putting everything together, I think it’s safe to say that it’s been busy busy busy – which is the main reason why my blog posts have been so few of late. I just haven’t had the energy. I yearn for some down time but I don’t think I’ll have any until Christmas. So I’m gonna hang in there and be patient. But for my sake, Christmas can’t come soon enough! :)

But all this busy talk made me curious… how are you folks managing your life-work balance?

As always, all comments are appreciated. And by all means be sociable, share! :)

Many thanks,
Ragga