My friends always either gasp or laugh when they see my Google Calendar of the week: literally each hour of the day is blocked off, dedicated to finishing another assignment, studying, volunteering, and meetings. While I sheepishly laugh alongside them, when I look again at the calendar I’ve set up for myself, I see that every day, from 8 a.m. to midnight, I have some task I need to complete. Most of the day, I’m sitting down crouched over my desk, going over dense organic chemistry course material or finishing up worksheets for calculus. If I had complete free will, unbothered by the societal conditioning surrounding achievements and climbing up the professional ladder, would my day still look like this? Even as someone who loves science and writing, I honestly feel burnt out by the immense abundance of content I’m supposed to cram into my head and the essays I’m supposed to produce during each midterm season.
I know I’m not alone in this predicament, where I feel “free to pursue my dreams” yet held back by this constant feeling of needing to work harder. I wish to live by Stephen R. Covey, who said “the key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” What’s important to me? What do I find satisfaction in? The societal framework surrounding colleges and degree requirements won’t change, and I’ll undoubtedly take courses that I’m not as interested in or passionate about. But, does that mean that I must neglect my own health or personal life? Due to midterm season, I don’t remember the last time that I went on a run, or where I went out on the weekend to enjoy the city with my friends.
Something that’s very important to understand is that work life balance doesn’t mean having equal amounts of time dedicated to both. Rather, it means feeling fulfilled within these two aspects of your life. Ultimately, the life you make, the day you have, and the feelings you have are mostly in your hands. Rather than going down the rabbit hole of comparing myself to others, I should focus on building the life I want. The things I love — such as exercising, reading a book, going outdoors, and laughing with my friends — are all small things that are easily implementable in my day. I think most people in my shoes just need to focus on setting boundaries, understanding that while you do need to work, your life also comprises more than just grades.
I’ll never be this age again. Who knows who I’ll be surrounded by in 10 years? With every season, new people come and leave my life, and new stresses, joys, and triumphs come. While it’s difficult, I wish to begin changing my mindset, start letting go of my crazy schedule, and allow my day to unravel more spontaneously so that I can truly experience life in all its uncontrolled greatness. I believe we can all learn from working to live, rather than living to work.