Making time in a go-go-go-rush-rush-rush world

I have many a time heard upperclassmen remark, wistfully, that between academics, athletics/extracurriculars, a social life, and a consistent sleep schedule, you can only have three of the four at any given time in college. Inevitably, one of the options is bound to be lacking as a result of quality effort put into other areas. As much as it makes sense logically, and I can see the truth of that statement now, I just can’t make peace with that fact. Why must we settle for mediocrity or the straight-up absence of one of the four vital sectors of college life? Well, for one, there’s the issue of time. These one hundred and sixty-eight hours in any given week have to be parceled out wisely: put too much time into class and you’ll never see your friends. Too much into clubs and sleep and your academics go down the drain. So we pour more time into certain parts and take away from others with the hope that the finished product will be a functional, fun, and memorable college experience. 

I can’t exactly say to you “Look over here! This is the magic recipe that works for everyone and will ensure that you get everything out of your college experience!” Because I too have no idea what the perfect median is, or if the mythical creature even exists. But something I would like to bring to your attention is how easy it is to burn out trying to find that balance. In the quest of finding the perfect mix, it is likely that you might overestimate how much you really can handle and find yourself hitting a metaphorical wall as a result of spreading yourself too thin. It’s not great, but it happens to be a common experience in college, or at least from what I have been able to observe.

It seems wholly counterintuitive, but one thing I have found from my own experiences is that when you try to make time to fit the absolute most in, sometimes taking a step back and taking a break to reevaluate your priorities from a different perspective is actually more helpful and effective than coming at it from the same busy state you’re trying to get out of. Essentially, it’s easy to get lost when you are a part of the scene you are working on. But when you step back and really have the opportunity to take a look at the bigger picture, there are a lot of “ooh!” and “ahah!” moments that enable you to redo your approach to the situation. That reset, if you will, is a great opportunity to both refocus your efforts and take a breather, which can give you a chance to get back into the swing of things with a new and revitalized mindset.

Making time in a go-go-go-rush-rush-rush world is not a simple matter. There are no perfect one-size-fits-all answers or approaches; rather, it’s a lot of trial and error. You might have to, for example, forgo an event for an academic or athletic commitment — it’s a lot of quid pro quo but we all can figure out more or less that tradeoffs are all just a part of the game at this point in our lives. 

So in this quest of the perfect balance for the greatest college experience, do yourself a favor and take some time to yourself to step back and truly reevaluate where you are at. You might notice some of the details you missed previously, or have an entirely new perspective as a result of looking at the grand scheme of things. Maybe it will change your plans for the moment, and maybe it will influence your plans for the future, but you really won’t know until you give it a shot.