Class, workout, class, dinner date, read, study, catch up on your favorite shows, study, sleep, repeat. The life of a college student can be very hectic; it is a lot to keep up with. Most of us have a million things going on and we don’t want to give any of those things up. I keep up with everything I have to do by making ridiculous amounts of lists, writing things on my hands, looking at my planner 5,000 times a day, and telling people to remind me of things.
Last year, with two weeks left in the semester, I did the unthinkable: I LOST MY PLANNER. I thought my life was over. I had to resort to post it notes and a notebook (total 90’s stuff). This year, during the third week of classes, I filled my planner so full that I ran out of space and actually had to make a to-do list. I am a chronic over-planner.
My family makes fun of my constant lists and mental notes but the truth is that I’m very forgetful. Not to mention, it feels so good when I drag my pink highlighter across the page that reads “Communication Law-Test 1”. Being organized has its perks. I’ve never pulled an all-nighter, never gotten points off for turning something in late, and most definitely not forgotten to turn an assignment in all together. But sometimes I wonder if I actually enjoy the things that I’m crossing off my list or if I’m just getting them done. Is there such a thing as too organized?
Someone once told me (after I got finished being annoyed that we were late getting to where we wanted to go) that if you are worried about what time you are getting somewhere you aren’t focused enough on where you are going. This hit me pretty hard. Even if I’m planning on doing something fun, I’m constantly planning what time I need to get there to have the most fun. Of course there are things you have to be on time for. But does it really matter if you get to your tailgate at 9:00 or 9:30? No. The burgers and booze won’t be gone.
I have to remind myself sometimes to stop trying to plan out every second and stop trying to figure out what’s going to happen after class, after this semester, after college. When we plan out our lives down to every second, it takes the adventure out of it. We learn the most on the way to where we’re going, not when we finally get there. And sometimes we realize when we get there, that we want to go back to the “getting there” part.
We get too worried about how we’re going to get somewhere or when we’re going to get there that we forget to enjoy the ride. It’s like taking a road trip with your best friends, getting there is half the fun. We’re all at Tech for a reason, whether you want to be a writer, an engineer, or a social worker, we all have a reason that we’re here but if you concentrate too much on where you’re trying to go, you’re going to forget how you got there.
So if you’re like me, the chronic over-planner; relax and take a breath. You’re going to make the grades and get the life you’re meant for. But if you worry too much about the future, you’re going to miss the adventure.