Please be forewarned: this is a rant of an overworked Cookie!
I have two jobs. Yes, not one but two jobs. During the day, I sit behind my computer and either write grants or plan fundraising events for an affordable housing nonprofit, and then at night I moonlight part-time as a designer and painter for a children’s theatre. Both jobs are equally rewarding, because I feel like I am doing some good in this world, but both are equally tiring! I took on a second job to help pay-off student loans quicker, but with planning our wedding on top of two jobs, I feel like I am being pulled in a million directions.
Currently, I have two major projects at both of my jobs. I’m planning a fundraising event for my first job, and I’ve got a gigantic muraling project for the theatre. My time is being gobbled-up with an endless to-do list that keeps expanding instead of shrinking. My days and nights are consumed with work, and my weekends are consumed with either work or wedding errands. I feel my life spiralling out of balance with working 60 to 80 hours a week.
Mr. Cookie and I are homebodies. A perfect evening for us is going home and watching a movie or playing board games. We haven’t had a night where I haven’t been working for the past month, which is a little relationship taxing. Also, I exercise three days a week which not only keeps me in shape, but keeps me sane. Lately, it has been harder and harder to drag my tired behind to the gym, and my workouts have slimmed down to once a week. Hopefully, my work life will calm down in the middle of June when both projects end.
But I get incredibly frustrated when work creeps into my personal life, especially wedding planning. I highly value my personal time, and I try really hard to set boundaries between work and my personal life. Since I am a theatre major and a portion of my job is planning fundraising events, I decided not to hire a wedding planner to save money because I could do it all myself. Lately, I really wish I would have because I’ve had to put aside a lot of major wedding projects that need to get done asap, particularly invitation design and printing, to finish other work priorities.
I’ve delegated some wedding planning duties to Mr. Cookie like planning our rehearsal dinner, music planning, and anything related to his attire, but to be brutally honest the actual wedding planning is not Mr. Cookie’s thing. Mr. Cookie and I will only get married once (hopefully), so the wedding more than my two jobs seems like my highest priority because the relationship Mr. Cookie and I have is my #1 priority. And besides, I have a lot of fun wedding planning! Although, I guess it is really all about how you view and categorize the priorities in your own life.
Is any one else feeling like your having a hard time balancing work, life, and wedding planning? Please help an overworked cookie out, and post the ways you bring balance to your own busy life.
Oh yes! I used to do the full-time (alumni relations at a Philly-area university) and part-time (Sbux barista, a carry-over job from my grad school days) thing. At the end of the day, I calculated how much dough I was bringing in — not enough to justify continuing with the craziness — and now I work close to 9 to 5, which allows me and my full-time student, jack-of-all-trades (five, count ‘em, FIVE part-time jobs to put himself through med school) FI some (but not nearly enough, as we don’t live together yet!) face-time each week.
Throw in wedding-planning, and it’s almost enough to throw in the towel and just elope!
Keep at it Cookie; do what makes the most “cents” for you, and know you’ve got support from the Hive! 
I am/was having similar problems too. My job since December has become more demanding and was requiring me to spend at least 3 out of 5 nights staying late and time on the weekends. The big projects that were consuming all this time are soon to be over, but I neglected to get some of the wedding stuff done that I was hoping too.
My save the dates just got out the door - with 4 months til the wedding, I started working on them in January! I’ve got a head start on the invites, which we’re making ourselves and hoping the longer summer days give me/us some extra energy.
Tips….hmmmm… delegate, simplify and take time to relax, if you can.
Hang in there!
I had similar issues when I was planning my wedding. Like you, I feel the need to exercise to keep me from going crazy. It sounds like you’ve got so much going on that the exercise is falling to the wayside. My advice: Do whatever you can to get your workouts in! It really is the only time you’ll have all to yourself. As far as I know, no one wants to be near me as I’m sweating on a treadmill! It feels self-indulgent, but I honestly think I’m easier to be around, in a better mood, and more positive, every time I get my workout in.
hang in there!
I completely feel your pain as well… you are not alone and you are in my prayers.
I agree with tina that you should get those workouts in - it will help.
Also, I know that you want to design your invites, etc. but if it is putting too much stress on you then it isn’t worth it. Instead of doing custom invites you can buy stock ones. Take those “major wedding projects” and turn them into minor ones. Just my $0.02.
i feel your pain. i will be working full time and going to school full time soon and don’t know how i am going to juggle it all. for me, wedding planning is my saving grace. good luck miss cookie!
Thanks! You guys are the best!
@MagPie518: I can barely handle two, but FIVE! GEEZH! @tina: I’m going to get my butt to the gym tonight!
@M&M: Yes, wedding planning is my saving grace! Especially, blogging on Weddingbee!
In the same boat here, except my second job is fixing up the house we bought last year. My tip - honesty - is that I put off wedding planning when things get tough. I’ve also started scheduling it into my free time along with my social life, so that things that need to get done and that things that don’t reeeeally need to be done… well, they only gets done if I have left over time.
I’ve found that 1) I can’t put off my job if I want to keep it (which I do 
), 2) FI doesn’t want to spend his free time hearing about table linens any more than I want to hear about electrical wiring, 3) while my wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event that I want to be perfect down to the tiniest detail, I would rather start our life in a nice home, and finally 4) wedding planning - gasp - can wait. With little exception, I can postpone planning any detail without really any mal-effect.
Don’t worry if things are a bit hectic with your wedding planning. A lot of us brides place importance on our weddings, but fifty years from that day, it’s your marriage that’ll make you the happiest. So even if things aren’t perfect for one day, don’t worry–at least you will have a wonderful husband for many years.
girl, i feel your pain! i have been pushing myself with my 9 to 5, my freelance design at night (gotta save that loot) and wedding planning, plus moving forward on buying a house! my FSIL called me yesterday hysterical and asking if i had talked to her mom .. it turns out it was a personal crisis for her, but the way the conversation started, i thought something had happened to my FI!
well, i think my mind just couldn’t take any more, and since then, I’ve been laid up here in bed with a tension headache going the entire length of my left side.. no workouts for me right now and my dress will be here in 2 weeks!
eek .. ok looks like i needed to vent too — it’s nice to know we’re not all alone
Mrs. Cookie, Denver
Age and Occupation: 25, Nonprofit Fundraiser/Theatre Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Financial Analyst
Engagement Date: September 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: May 8, 2008
Venue: Ten Mile Station
About Me: With a degree in Theatre I never realized that planning a wedding was a lot like Theatre Management, until I started planning my own. I am a coffee addict, especially Starbucks' Grande Mochas, yummy! I love to cook (especially chocolate chip cookies for my honey), travel to exotic places, and be creative. As a couple, Mr. Cookie and I are extremely practical, down to earth, and children at heart. We live in a cozy abode with our adorable Pomeranian, and love to play board games and watch movies into the evening.
I completely feel your pain! I work 7-8, 6 days a week. The best I can do is sneak in a 30 minute gym break 3 times a week. And we have pressing health concerns that require 2 dr’s visits weekly. No surprise our wedding keeps getting pushed back. Sadly the only solution I see is ….. NEW JOB!