For a while now, Chris Harrison has been promising the most dramatic season finale in Bachelor history, but some fans can’t justify devoting three hours of their time to reality TV anymore, and with good reason! As a student, and now a residence life don, I’ve come to realize how valuable my time is. I could do a lot with two or three hours which got me thinking that if we managed our time according to the length of an episode of The Bachelor we’d all be a lot less stressed and get more out of our days.
Okay hear me out, there are of course exceptions to this rule like for example class, work, sleep or spending time with loved ones, but for the most part nothing should monopolize more than three hours of your time. Four-hour staff meeting or three-hour club social? That’s a big no from me. It’s easy to feel like people will assume you’re disinterested, but ask yourself would these people make the same time commitment for me if I needed it? How you choose to spend your time is like your vote, so make sure it counts.
Prioritizing your time also doesn’t make you selfish. I know that I’m a great friend and teammate, but it’s impossible to be in two places at once. It’s also exhausting to invest so much of your time into people or organizations when you aren’t necessarily reaping any of the rewards. Make sure at the end of the day you’re also carving out some “me time” or taking the steps towards self-care.
Another lesson that The Bachelor contestants have taught me, is to go after what you want, which is key when managing your time. My friends and I used to laugh at the revolving door of girls asking the bachelor if they “could steal him for a minute?” but maybe they were onto something. So much of your time is wasted waiting on or waiting for others to do things that we could be doing ourselves. You don’t have to be pushy about it, but set yourself up to be at the front of the line and let your needs be heard.
Pay closer attention the next time you’re watching an episode of The Bachelor with your girl gang!