i think you have to organise your life at least a little bit because other organisations and institutions are organised to schedules. you cant sleep until midnight and then spend all your waking time nocturnally because you'd never be able to buy any food, you'd never see other people or be able to hold down a job (unless you were on nights) so you have to do the up at 8 (ish) bed at midnight type of lifestyle. Of course its flexable but up in the morning bed a night makes sense. Then if you have a job, its always more moralising if you spend your time there when the sun is up. And just think, everyone else is working then so you might as well waste that time at work as well so you can spend your collective time off together. Then there's the pub. The pub closes at 11:30, so you need to be done by then. there's just little things, you're living on your own schedule but you have to live by other people's more than your own. The way to cope is to think that you dont really have to do it, that you have some form of control over it, you can quit your job, go on holiday and their worlds will keep going. I personally dont have a schedule really. i've got lessons i need to goto in the week but they only take up a little bit of time, the rest of it i can manage myself and its very refreshing being your own timekeeper. But i agree with you, working a 9-5 and having no life is very distressing, but then thats why white collar jobs are so frowned upon by young people with dreams of changing the world. Thing is, all jobs you work at are going to want you to be consistant with what you do, unless you were your own boss, or something with flexible hours, like an actor or musician, your life ISNT going to be different day-by-day. The trick therefore, is to get a job you love. Pursue your dreams because in the end, there's a good chance you're going to be doing the same job for 40 odd years. Lawyer, computer games creator, musician, artist, architect, if you love it, youre not going to mind. If you just stumbled into a job because you needed the money you're not going to have that job satisfaction and you're NOT going enjoy the most of your life. And the point of life is to have fun after all. The way to cope really is to actually stop seeing it as a schedule that you're constricted to, think of it as the time where you get to meet your friends and colegues. Its that period of the day where you have to make a difference to soemthing.
When i was on summer break from school i was relieved to be away from the place, by the end i was looking forward to getting back and seeing all my mates who i hadnt been able to catch up with. Seeing something for the bad things isnt a good way to live, seeing work as a place to catch up on last nights tv with work people, seeing it as a place that will let you buy a new dvd or game, seeing it as a place where you can have fun doing what you love doing and doing it well enought that you are proud by what you've acomplished, that's the trick.
Seek the truth
Behold the truth
Reveal the truth
That is the law and the whole of the law