A common thing I tell myself is “I’ll do it after.” After this big exam, I’ll finish up my cross-stitch project. After this presentation, I’ll start knitting that hat. After this homework assignment, I’ll go for that hike.
But then the sun sets, the next day comes, and another thing takes the place of the exam, the presentation, and the assignment. The UW quarter system, with its grip only tightening as the last few weeks before finals start, is ruthless in its constant barrage of endless tasks. I am Sisyphus, and my rock is the never-ending list of tasks.
After never comes. There will never be a time when I am completely free to dedicate my attention to my hobbies. The secret deadline will always be there, looming in the horizon, just waiting for me to notice it and start panicking. I can see it now, even as I type this out- it’s my unfinished lab report, my final class presentation, the pile of pre-recorded lectures I have to watch at 1.5x speed.
But we are not machines, able to simply recharge after eight hours of sleep- that is only the baseline for existing. What about thriving? What about laughter with friends, the quiet contemplation of a good book, or the silent forest at 4 PM dusk? What about our hobbies?
So I find time to thrive in the little moments. Reading during my commute to and from school, planning my little embroidery projects in between classes, knitting into the late night when everyone else is asleep. If the baseline for health is getting up every hour or so to stretch and pace around a bit, what can you add to make it joyful? Maybe you can step outside for a moment and breathe the cold Seattle air, maybe you can read a few pages of the new detective novel that just came out, or maybe you can draw a few quick doodles in the margins of your notes. I think if Sisyphus did a little dance number every time he managed to push the rock near the top of the hill, the punishment would have felt less painful.
In between finding these little moments of joy, however, it is also important to actually pencil in time for hobbies. Pretend your hobby is just another 50-minute-long lecture. Find a time in your week when you have an hour available, and tell yourself that this hour is for your hobby only. Then- and this is the hard part- go do your activity during the appointed time. And don’t feel guilty for taking time for yourself, after all, a happy UW student is a productive UW student.
We’re almost done with the fall quarter, Huskies. Let’s pull through with our mental health and GPAs intact.