Time management is a skill that we, as students, are constantly told is vital to all academic and life balance. But it is a skill that is wildly misunderstood. Time management isn’t about being able to fill every time slot on your calendar and fit it all neatly into a planner. It’s not about juggling the max number of tasks and responsibilities possible while not dropping or missing anything. In reality, time management is more about being able to mentally manage your responsibilities without going insane, and being able to perform at optimal levels in your commitments.
Many high achieving students will try to pack their schedules with as much work as possible while trying not to drop anything, but that doesn’t work. Small, less notable things will be whittled down and cut away without you realizing it. It starts with sleeping less, then eating less, and then socializing less. Homework assignments and work deadlines will slip between the cracks, even for the most dedicated, smart student. Calm time alone, which may not be viewed as productive enough in Western Culture, will be whittled down to possibly nothing. Social commitments will fall through and friends will grow distant. This will not be apparent until it all comes crashing down.
On top of the tangible things that start to come apart, there is the emotional toll that an overly packed schedule holds. Living paycheck-to-paycheck with your energy levels will catch up to you one way or another. Things like getting overly mean and irritable with friends or skipping hangouts due to exhaustion will cause friendships to grow strained and sometimes fade away. Since your nerves are so on edge, you won’t be able to handle little things that go wrong that typically wouldn’t bother you. This will majorly affect your mental health, as exhaustion builds up into burnout.
There are the things that you can’t put on a checklist or schedule into a calendar, and they are some of the most important things to being healthy and happy. The issue becomes: How can you even begin to put down the many hats you have collected? It’s not feasible for most people to quit a job and dropping classes can have many real consequences. It can feel as though you are trapped in a cycle of burnout. If you stretch yourself too thin, then you will not be able to do anything at the level you want to or know you can. Noticing things like grades slipping or losing hobbies are actually all a result of burnout.
Some realistic ways to manage this dilemma is to plan for less in the future. With classes and work, consider not overloading yourself with credits or try minimizing how many hours you schedule yourself at work as much as you can. Another way to limit the work you are doing is to think about your values. Focus your energy on doing what aligns most with your values and goals in the long term. Understanding yourself isn’t easy, and being able to acknowledge your own limitations without your ego getting in the way is a great skill. Early adulthood comes with a lot of trial and error.
If you are a new student or a current student struggling, you are not alone, and it will get better. You are not a failure for acknowledging your limitations and prioritizing your mental health. In fact, I would say that having a bad semester and realizing what you can and cannot manage is a success. Now, you have learned something new about yourself and what you need.