Travel is a pretty fantastic thing in my opinion. Mostly because of the exposure: new foods, new people, and new culture. When I traveled to Europe this past summer, I noticed something else interesting: a new (to me) way of thinking. In my experience, the concept of time and how you manage it was so different in Europe, than what I had experienced here in America. Time was not something you let control you, you took advantage of it.
This concept of how to approach life was so foreign to me because of the way American culture has shaped my thought process. Here, the emphasis is on the result, not the process. That the process can be rushed, because it's not really quantifiable. In other words, If we have nothing to show at the end of something we did, did we really do anything? The answer is yes; that the process should be something you relish in and don't rush. I've come to realize that when you approach things with this mindset, you will start to notice things you didn't notice before, and gain a new appreciation for things that once seemed mundane.
I think the first step is acknowledging that our culture has set us up to think a certain way. Really look at the things you feel you "must" do. For many of us that list will include work, school, time to study, club meetings, so on and so forth. Do you start thinking about how long each of these things will take? I often will catch myself thinking "If I finish this in an hour I can...[insert enjoyable activity here.]" Rarely do I think, "Wow, math is so interesting, I'm so excited to study it," but maybe if I wasn't looking at the clock, I would gain a new appreciation in something I view as a boring, mandatory task.
When we take our time, in anything we do, we allow ourselves to enjoy the present without thinking about what we have to do next. It changes your perspective about what you are doing. I believe we should strive to take time with the things we do, especially the boring ones. You will end up finding yourself to be completely present -- engaging in more meaningful ways, personally, academically, and any other category you can think of.
When you can apply this train of thought to something a bit more challenging like school work, making time to take your time with fun things flows more easily. This includes going to lunch for four hours with friends, FaceTiming your mom until midnight, or taking a full day to explore a new part of town.
All aspects of your life become more whole and fulfilling if they recieve your full attention. So decide to take time with everything, mundane or not. Your work, relationships, everything will benefit because they will be recieving everything you have to give.
