How To Work In Free Time When There Is No Time That Is Free

Anyone else feel like they can't ever catch a freaking break? Between exams, papers, illness, relationships, family, sports, and God knows what else, it can feel like there is never time for you to just relax. I find myself wishing every day for just a few more hours and every weekend wishing for just one more day. All I want is some free time to do whatever I want whether it's sleep, watch Netflix, or hang out with friends and it seems like that is just impossible.

But it is possible. All you need is a little time management.

Now it might seem sad or a little bonkers to plan every minute of every day, but you do what you gotta do for the sake of your sanity. Everyone needs some time to just chill and let yourself relax.

Plan out your day. Pull up Google sheets or draw on a piece of paper your full day. Block out all of your classes, meetings, clubs, anything that is constant. Give yourself some time in the morning to wake up and get ready, then block off some time at night to get ready for bed. Even if your classes don't all start at the same time every day, having consistent bedtimes and wake-up times will help you tremendously.

Now, look at all that white-space. Think of all the possibilities you could fill that space with! Actually, don't. That sounds stressful. Instead, begin to prioritize. Block off an hour here and an hour there to focus specifically on one subject. If you finish your work within that hour- boom! Free time! Or, get started on the next subject.

No matter what you need to factor in some time for yourself. Huge white spaces can be intimidating because you might feel like you're wasting that precious time rather than utilizing it as much as possible. But, if you plan out your entire day, and stick to it, then there is no waste.

And always remember, free time is not wasted time. Take that free time to focus on yourself and do something you want to do. Watch an episode of whatever show you're on, take a 20-minute power nap, blast the tunes and dance it out- it doesn't matter! Take some time for you.

Life can get jam-packed and overwhelming very quickly. There are only 24 hours in a day and I know you want to accomplish as much work as possible, but at the end of the day you can only do so much and you need to cut yourself some slack. You are only one person and you need to take care of yourself above all else.