In Which Belle Ponders The Necessity of Certain Things

Such as:

1. Eating
2. Sleeping
3. Exercise
4. Cleaning
5. Working

Thesis hell supresses my appetite, and has an off-on thing with bouts of insomnia and then huge headaches that make me lie down and sleep for 5 hours during the day in addition to 6 at night. So I can't really get around those two. I force myself to eat three times a day as much as I can choke down, and try not to eat only bread (I am not low-carb, I am "pro-carb"). Eating involves cooking, which I do about twice a week, in substantial family-sized quantities (keep in mind I'm a small girl) until I get sick of 8 quarts of chicken soup or 6 quarts of masoor dal. But I can't seem to cheat those two necessities of life.

Exercise: something I didn't do at all the first time around in law school, that I'm surprisingly keeping up here. I walk at least a couple of miles a day to and from school or for health, brisk walks at that. I used to hike more regularly. It clears my head, but I'm trying to figure out how to integrate exercising with other things for maximum utility: walking to errands, carrying groceries while walking is like lifting weights for a mile. If only law books came on tape, then I'd be set. I figure the long meandering walks I used to take are out, as are intensive two hour hikes.

Cleaning: damn, I hate that. I like having a clean, well organized workspace. I work from home. I cook, eat, and work here. Consequently, the problem arises when the dishes and articles and books stack up, and the clothing piles up in the laundry bin. I feel oppressed by the weight of so many piles. I am normally a neat freak, except when I am freaking out about other things. Is there a way to get around this? I have a 300 square feet studio--so there's no escaping the clutter, and it's not even that big that I can justify going for more than two weeks without disinfecting and cleaning it from top to bottom. Yet, the fact remains, you can't cook without clean surfaces, can't eat without clean dishes, can't sleep unless your bed has enough space for you (pushing aside the books and clothes). Curses.

Work: well, you all know the necessity of that.

Note, nowhere on the list right now, is something called "fun."