When it comes to college, it feels as if it’s a never-ending list of to-dos. At least it does for me, personally. You finish one assignment, then you have another to do, as well as an exam to study for, a paper to write, and another list of things to do for your extracurriculars.
Don’t get me wrong: I love the work that I’m doing and I’m passionate about pursuing my academic and career goals. In high school, I remember giving 110% effort into everything. I was so passionate about working hard and achieving success, that I became the stereotypical overachieving girl heavily involved in everything. At the time, that’s not how I saw myself; in my mind, I just wanted to be the best that I could be and if that meant a lack of sleep then that’s the sacrifice I was willing to make.
When I came to college, those traits only intensified. Lack of sleep has practically become a part of my personality, as has spending all of my free time doing work. I think the hardest part for me is knowing when to stop or take a break. So much so that it’s become a daily routine of drinking coffee in the late evening just to stay awake to continue working for the next few hours.
I become so enveloped in my work that I want to keep going until I finish whatever it is I am doing at the moment. This is because in the back of my mind I know that I still have more assignments to do. So I prefer to spend all of my free time getting ahead in my classes by relieving myself of at least a few tasks and responsibilities for the week.
Nights have become later and later, coffee has become a part of my daily routine, and long weekends full of homework and getting ahead have become the norm in my life.
Honestly, free time, who is she? Sleep, who is she? All I know is work and coffee.
The other day I stumbled upon the definition for a workaholic and came to the realization that I am a workaholic to a T.
Over time I have come to realize that college doesn’t have to be a 24/7 job, but when you overextend yourself and take on too many responsibilities, it can quickly become that way. At this point, it’s become so natural to get 0-6 hours of sleep every night and spend hours on my work that I don’t even think twice about it. I just have become normalized to being busy and always having so much to do.
What I hope to work on is penciling in time for myself, even if it’s as simple as going to the movies, going out to eat, hanging out with friends, or maybe go on a date? I guess what I am trying to say is, I’ve let my work take over my life and now I want to turn the tables and take control of it for myself.