Time management is not a one-size-fits-all lesson

So you have a lot of freedom. But as with anything in life there’s always the yin and the yang. With freedom comes more responsibility. When it comes to college, I’ve learned that time management is key but different from than the time management most of us balanced in high school. For me it’s been an interesting road to learn how time management is not a one-size-fits-all lesson. Depending on your schedule, routine, and lifestyle, there’s numerous ways to manage one’s time efficiently and effectively. It can take a while to find what works and given the fast-paced nature of the quarter system, you might not feel settled into your “routine” for quite a few weeks. That’s okay, it doesn’t have to be. You’ll get better at it as time goes on too.  It might be disorienting the first couple weeks of each quarter simply because you are trying to find a healthy balance as well as simply adjust to college life.

For me, it’s been an interesting road to comprehend that time management isn’t mastered once. It has to be re-learned every time your schedule changes and my schedule has changed a lot. Freshman year I was a student-athlete so I had a lot of structure built-in already which made time management quite simple since I didn’t have much free time to waste anyway. When I chose to leave the team beginning of sophomore year, that’s when time management really challenged me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have to be up at the crack of dawn, I didn’t have to be at practice in the afternoon, I didn’t have to go to bed “on-time,” and I didn’t have to stay on top my work the way I used to.

Freedom comes with responsibility - Create a healthy routine!

Once again, freedom comes with responsibility and I had a big dose of it sophomore year. I thought it would be easy, honestly, because I was going from having to be ultra-disciplined due to my packed schedule for the past 16 years of my life to ample free time that I could manage how I wanted. But no, it turned my world upside down. I was not feeling accomplished, challenged, or excited because I had lost structure in my days. After trying all different routines, I realized I needed to reprioritize the things that mattered most so that those were at the top of my list every day. When I could check them off the list, that’s when I would have the motivation to accomplish an array of other little things that day. This is easier said than done. No one is going to do it for you. I immediately thought of my mom when I would tell her “you’re so lucky; after you take me to school you could just sit at home and watch TV if you wanted too – how nice.” She knew I simply couldn’t understand why staying busy was better than relaxing on the couch and watching your favorite show at my young age, but she would always say things like, “I have to keep myself busy and create structure in my week to stay on top of things, motivated, and, ultimately, fulfilled.” Now, I get it. It’s up to us as adults to create a fulfilling lifestyle that keeps you joyful. Every time I witness someone who has created structure in an unstructured lifestyle, they exhibit immense strength and discipline. I will always value a healthy routine.