Slowing Down

This winter quarter has been CRAZY so far.  I say that, and tomorrow starts the first day of week 5.  We are about to be halfway through winter quarter and I feel like I have no semblance of a routine, no semblance of "normal".I hate that.One thing I've learned about myself is that I LOVE routines.  I'm very much a creature of habit.  I feel my best when I get up at the same time every day, eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, work out around the same time, go to work at the same time, and pretty much know what's coming.  It's funny, I think I love routine in my personal life because I crave excitement in my work life and social life - I love to try new things and take on new projects.  I get really bored if I'm constantly doing the same thing at work or on a Friday night.  So my routines are my way of prepping my body for the other excitement that's going on around it.That being said, I've been working a lot this quarter and it's all been weird hours, with lots of schoolwork on weekends, and I've found that it's made me feel like I always need to be doing something.  Tonight, I actually finished my to-do list, and I'm all ready to go for the week so that I might actually get a routine going (woo hoo! week 5, finally getting it down!) and I did not know what to do with myself.Seriously, I sat there on the couch and pulled out some work that I knew I needed to do.  Could it have waited til I would be in the office?  Yes.  Did I do it anyway?  Yes.I've found that not only do I do best when I'm in a routine, but I do really well when I've got a lot going on.  Knowing that I need to operate at 110% makes me that much more motivated.  But that also means that I forget how to slow down and take me time.  So after I put the finishing touches on one last thing for the night, I'm shutting down my computer and settling in with a book.  And some magazines.  I need to just be.Is it going to be hard?  Heck yes.  I feel like there are a million other things I should be doing.  Are there really a million other things I should be doing?  No, they can all wait until tomorrow, when the week actually starts.  I need to remind myself to recharge and refocus.  When I'm rested and refocused, I work more efficiently and have more energy, and just overall feel fresher.So here's to a night with a book and a blizzard, slowing it down and recharging.