Candid Conversations // making time for friends.

I have a confession. There are weeks that I am not the best friend. I forget to respond to texts, I decline invites to go out at night, and I don't check in. Those are the weeks that I let work overwhelm me and it's something that I definitely want to work on. While I'm proud of the work I complete, I know that I need to develop some more balance. Plus, when I hole up in my apartment for too long, void of de-stressing activities, I find that I actually am less productive and get less work done. Not to mention, being burnt out is hardly a recipe for inspiration! 

It seems to me that this is a pretty common phenomenon. I live on a university campus and am therefore surrounded by thousands of hard working, motivated people. While it's awesome to want to succeed and to work hard at it, I think we could all use a little break every now and then. There are times when I forget to take these breaks, or convince myself that I need to get everything done that evening. But when I choose to take a breather and grab tea with a friend, or just spend an evening chatting and catching up, I always end up so much better off! A few weeks ago I was in the mind-set that I was too busy to take time out for a coffee date with one of my friends. In the end I just went, and I felt so invigorated after! That evening I was calm and much more able to get my work done, and was so much more engaged with what I was doing! One of my goals for the next couple months is definitely to carve out more time for friends and make a point of planning fun afternoons with them. 

Do you face this challenge too? I'd love to hear what you've done to combat the "busy" monster!

sweet image found at the indikidual tumblr