There is one excuse that every student has in common: "I don't have time". Why is this the most popular excuse to not complete a task, go to an event, or to not study harder for that exam? It has been said before and I say it again, "We are all given the same 24 hours in the day" and if you think a little more deeply about this, you will notice that people such as Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Michelangelo, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Neil deGrasse Tyson, and other incredible human beings ALL had the same amount of time per day...the same amount of time that YOU have. These people chose to make the most of all 24 hours in their day and pushed themselves to the limit to achieve what they wanted most in life, even if it meant long hours, criticism, and different kinds of stress...

But really, when you think about this, you have been given a life to live and 24 hours per day for 365 days every year. How is time an excuse? I will definitely admit that I have used this excuse more than just a few times, so I am writing this for myself as much as anyone else. But, what could you achieve with the right amount of motivation? I am here to tell you (and frankly, myself) that you DO have time. You WILL finish that project for class. You CAN get that second job. You have time. You can do it. I believe in you. I get it, though. College can be a time where you feel as if you really truly have no time. I feel the same. But think about this: this is also the part of your life where your brain is constantly being stimulated to think more critically, for longer, and being stimulated to think on a more abstract level. This is the part of your life that your brain is being stretched to a capacity, but not its fullest potential. According to Dr. Richard Cytowic (2014) in the Huffington Post, "at almost any moment, 16% of our brain cells are active". This being said, we know that 84% of the brain is still left to use. Now, I know that if it was possible to achieve a larger percentage, certain things, such as Multiple Personality Disorder, could happen. Even though a higher percentage of brain usage is seemingly impossible, it is still inspiring that humankind is most definitely able to achieve more. So as you are sitting here reading this article, I want you to remember that 24 hours per day and 365 days per year applies to everyone. How will you use it?

A good start to learning that you do have time is keeping a daily planner or using a calendar. I would also highly suggest a to-do/task list. Having a planner allows you to write down your schedule and you are able to see your day/week/month all in one area. I have used a planner for college every year and I really don't think I could do without it. The to-do/task lists give me the motivation to cross things off the list, making me just a little more productive every day. Actually visualizing your schedule can show you that you do have an extra 30 minutes to an hour to go to the gym or work on that homework that will put you ahead of your to-do/task list.

So, whether you have your life together or not, whether you have all the time or no time, I hope I could give you just a little inspiration and even just a little advice. I hope you are enjoying your coffee, water, tea, or pop...whatever you are drinking. Maybe now you can cross off your daily morning drink off your to-do list!