College students are some of the hardest workers in this day and age. And I'm referring to the fact that we take on much more than we can handle.
For instance, I'm graduating thing semester, but I have an internship with NAU Athletics, I'm a social media editor for the Lumberjack, I write for Odyssey and I work at Snowbowl. And on top of all of this, I actually have a social life.
Most of the time, I want to scream from how busy I am. Other days, I'm thankful I have things to do each and every day.
What keeps me going is knowing that most college students are like me, one way or the other. I know some people who work 40 hours a week at a restaurant and they still kick ass. Other people are in a head position for their fraternity or sorority while also participating in other clubs and organizations on campus. Some students are student athletes, taking on a full workload between training and practice.
The real question is, how do any of us find a balance in our lives?
I'm sure you've all seen the graph that's the main photo of this article. Choosing between two necessities in life and sacrificing the third. In reality, it doesn't have to be this way.
First and foremost, school comes first.
Who cares if you are missing out on some sort of social activity? If your grades aren't good and you're not working toward your future, there's no point to anything else. School should be the number one priority for all of us.
After school is where it gets complicated. There are many factors: work, internships, clubs and organizations, a social life, "me" time and sleep.
This depends on you and what matters to you most.
I suggest purchasing a planner and maybe a whiteboard. Write out all of your assignments, appointments, meetings, and other important dates. If you find yourself still unorganized, write out your entire schedule for the following day and make sure everything gets ticked off before you go to sleep at night.
Do your homework as early as possible in the week, or be like me and write an article at 8:30 p.m. on a Friday.
Money is a necessity, but don't let it control your life right now. Work a few hours a week, and if it's too stressful, reduce your hours. Businesses understand, I promise you.
Select certain days to go out and make established plans with friends. These are the nights you can lose sleep.
If you have a significant other, then have one night a week you two can get together and have a date night. Before school started, my boyfriend and I went over each other's schedules to make sure we weren't clashing too much. It has been working out really well for us.
Let your internship, your work, and any clubs you're active in know what your schedule is like and that you're trying your hardest to make it work. If you use organization skills, you usually are fine, and like I said, most people are pretty understanding because you're in college and killing yourself with extracurricular activities are the norm.
In regards to "me" time and sleep, have one day a week all to yourself (yes this is possible). Lay in bed and binge on Netflix. Go for a hike in Sedona. Snowboard up at Snowbowl. Do whatever makes you feel happy. Forget about school and work for once and just relax.
Because if we don't relax and find balance in our lives, we go absolutely nuts. And that's not any way to go through life.
Whether you're a sophomore or in your last leg of the race as a senior, everything gets easier after college.
For now, good luck, guys. We're all in this together.
