I recently participated in a time management activity designed to help the participant evaluate where they spend a majority of their time. First I was asked to take a blank schedule and mark what I had going on that week. I scribbled in my classes, appointments, meetings, extracurricular activities, study groups, Bible study, and social events. Then I was asked to write a “time budget” where I would look at church, relationships, class/study time, work, recreation, eating, traveling, and sleeping time. I was asked to mark each category with “too little time spent,” “just enough time spent,” or “too much time spent.” After filling both sheets we had to go around the circle and describe our busiest day of the week. Once the activity was over I realized two things about myself: I am just as busy as everyone else, and I do not budget my time wisely.

Why should my poor time management matter to you? Well, after talking to the other participants I realized we were all feeling the same way. Everyone went in thinking they were the busiest person at the table and quickly realized that most college students have very little real “free time.” We also realized that time spent playing on our phones in between classes and watching Netflix before bed adds up.

I spent some time on my own to reevaluate how I wanted to spend my days. I was feeling busy all the time, but didn’t seem to be getting much done, and I was constantly tired, so I decided to make a few changes.

I realized that everyone is busy.

No one on a college campus feels like they have enough time. There are never enough hours in the day to take every opportunity, go to every event, watch every Netflix episode my heart desires, and still have time to study and sleep. I am not the only one struggling with this. I often find myself getting irritated when people move slowly or don’t respect my time, but now I see that everyone has a busy life. I am not the only person with too much on their plate, and I need to keep that in mind when I get frustrated with other people.

I realized that I wasn’t feeling satisfied.

For leading such a busy life, I wasn’t feeling happy. I wasn’t adding any tie in my schedule to do things I truly loved. I found that it’s important to give yourself time to recharge, or you won’t be able to complete everything on you to-do list. I started taking time to laugh with my sweet friends at Bible study, or watch a sunset with friends. Being present in the time I spent outside of school and work made me feel re-energized and refreshed so that I was able to work through some of the harder items on my agenda.

I realized that taking a break would prevent burn out.

I love my job, but it can be tiring. I work with people and constantly have to problem solve and deal with other people’s stress and hardship. While helping people is something I enjoy, I can’t be good at it if I don’t take time away to focus on other things that need to be done. I am only one person and while I am capable of great things, I realized the importance of slowing down and putting work on the back burner every once in a while.

I realized that being busy doesn’t mean being fulfilled.

After hearing other people’s schedules, I kind of felt guilty. I claim to have such a hard time getting everything done yet other people seemed to have much more to do than me and handled it with much more grace. I began to shame myself for not being as productive but then I realized that being super busy doesn’t mean being fulfilled. If I can get five things done and feel good about life, then why should it matter if someone else gets 50 things done in the same time? I am on my own path taking my own journey, as Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

I realized I wasn’t being efficient.

Seeing how much time I spend driving, walking, and waiting for class gave me an idea: why not knock out small tasks in between? This inspired me to start listening to podcasts of readings I needed to do for class as I walked across campus. I could also listen to them in the car, or at the library. Instead of checking Instagram for the umpteenth time that day, why not send off a few emails I would need to write later, or jot down ideas for a paper before I began the outline? I started finding new ways to make the most of my time, and this helped me be productive when I sat down to actually work on tasks later.

I realized that it’s OK to feel overwhelmed, but I can’t let it consume me.

There will be days when I am stressed and want to pull my hair out because there’s so much to do and not enough time. That’s OK. There will be other days where I am able to watch an entire season of "Grey’s Anatomy" because I have completed all my tasks and have an abundance of free time. It all evens out, eventually. So on the days I feel like I can’t do it all, I will make a conscious effort to step back and realize that it’s all part of the ride, and things will eventually slow down. It’s not the end of the world.