Busyness has defined my college life. Each year has brought more homework, harder classes and increasing responsibilities — and I’m not even finished yet. Don’t get me wrong, I love the work I get to do. What I don’t love, though, is how busy it makes me.
Lately, I’ve felt stressed, exhausted and just unhappy because of my busy schedule. I don’t cry too often, so it was rough when it happened twice in the same week. I realized that something needed to change.
Over the years, I’ve sought help when it comes to my busyness. I’ve heard advice from people that ranges from reevaluating your priorities until you have what is important to simply stop caring about what doesn’t matter — i.e., homework.
That “advice” only frustrated me further because I had already sacrificed and narrowed down my schedule to the most important things. If I quit anything else or stopped caring altogether, I’d be removing what brings me joy.
So this guide to busyness is for people like me – those who feel stuck, stressed and swamped by their work and have no idea what to do. I’m no expert, but it might be helpful for you to know that I’m testing these methods alongside you. After all, even though busyness is a part of life, it should not be a burden on it.
recognize the issue
To stop being so busy, you need to recognize that you are too busy. Extreme
busyness is not normal, but it is definitely normalized.
Here are five signs that made me realize I was too busy and needed to find ways to manage my time better: I stopped my hobbies; I quit exercising; I woke up exhausted daily; I got sick and I used busyness as an excuse to not show up for the people I cared about.
When you’re cancelling plans all the time or finding it impossible to send a text back, you need to consider if your busyness is taking more than what you can give.
If any of those resonate, you’re not alone. Being self-aware of your busyness is key. Problems can’t be solved unless it is first recognized.
limit technology
Technology is my worst enemy. It’s the ultimate distraction. One tap on my phone, and I’m doomscrolling on TikTok. One click of my computer, and I’m down a rabbit hole on YouTube.
Soon enough, my “study break” is longer than the time I actually spent studying.
My advice is to take serious steps to limit your technology use. Get a cheap alarm clock and charge your phone in another room. Delete distracting social media apps. Stop phone and computer use half an hour before bed. Quit asking for 15 more minutes on your screen time app.
Doing this opened up time in my schedule. Technology always takes up more time than we want it to, and it’s designed this way. So, if you really believe you have no time in the day, consider the amount of time you’re using your phone and replace it with more productivity, a hobby or even time outside. After all, technology takes more than it gives.
ask for assignment extensions
Before this semester, I had never asked for an extension in my life. I would just stay up the previous night, sacrificing my health to get an assignment done. But asking for an extension is not the end of the world!
It can be helpful to you and your professors. You get more time, and they likely receive better work. Plus, professors appreciate it when you communicate and do so early, if possible. After all, they don’t know what’s going on in your life. More often than not, they’re willing to give you grace.
Still, some deadlines are not movable. My articles for journalism classes are on a deadline, and the deadline is the deadline. It can be frustrating, but my English essay deadlines are more movable. Hence, I ask for an extension in my English courses when journalism and English deadlines overlap.
My advice is to genuinely communicate and ask people for help when everything starts to pile on. You don’t have to eat everything on your plate– some can be saved for later.
Give your best, not your all
Not every responsibility deserves your full attention and efforts. It’s likely you’re already doing more than enough. I tend to give my all to my homework, and it pays off, but lately I’ve been trying to cut back on how much of myself I give to my work.
For example, closing the computer just before midnight so I can get to bed on time — because my homework deserves my best abilities, not my bedtime. Or, saying no when someone asks if I want to take on another project that isn’t expected of me because I’m already doing enough! Sometimes, I only have time for one reading, so I get that done and read it thoroughly as opposed to skimming through the entirety.
These are just personal situations, but my goal is to remind you that if you give everything to your job, classes or extracurriculars, you’ll find, quite easily, that you’ll have little time to give to yourself.
Sincerely, a busy person
Busyness should not define you! The truth is, you’re not as busy as you think. There are ways to be less busy and make more time for yourself. It might take a second to implement the above, but from experience, I know busy people are determined people, so I have faith we’ll both kiss the busyness blues away.