The life of a college student is constantly filled with commitments, always pushing to complete the next task at hand. I don’t know about you all, but there is never a week where I can just relax and go by my own schedule. I am constantly planning my day around meetings for my extracurricular activities, homework deadlines and study plans. Yes, a busy schedule does develop good time management skills, but there comes a point where there is too much to handle. Here are three key signs that you need a break:
1. If you are fulfilling all your obligations – but at 50% effort.
Let’s be honest here: you are getting everything done, but it is not being done well. If you have three tests in one week and you study enough just so you can get B’s and C’s, it’s not good. Yes, you finished your homework before the deadline at 11:59 P.M., but surely you did not take the time to understand the questions if you started at 11:00. If you feel so pressed for time that you cannot even attempt to put full effort into your responsibilities, cut back on the number of tasks you take on.
2. If you aren’t getting enough regular sleep
A couple sleepless nights throughout the semester are not going to do much harm. However, when your sleep schedule constantly lacks hours that you need, you are pushing yourself too much. A consistent shortage of sleep makes it hard to keep up in the morning and eventually affects you negatively in either academics or extracurricular activities.
3. If you lose interest in the major or clubs that you are in
When you feel overwhelmed with work, it is easy to develop negative opinions of the activities you are involved in or the classes that you are taking. You should be enjoying and looking forward to your day, not dreading and wishing it were over. College is about making good memories and developing your interests. You should not feel like you are compromising your interests for your obligations.
These are just a few of the many indicators that you need to slow down the pace of your life. Don’t be afraid to say no from time to time, you’ll be happier much later when you have one less thing to worry about.