Job number one? Check. Job number two? Check. College courses? Check. Extra-curriculars? Check. Somewhat of a social life? Check. Enough sleep? Um, it's time to move on.
Remember those charts that would say, "good grades, a social life, enough sleep, pick two!"? Well, the reality is, that chart should look a little something like this:
Enough Sleep
Good Grades
Fitness
A Social Life
Family Time
Alone Time
Extra Curricular Activities
Internships
Classes
Volunteering
Work Study
Healthy Relationships
A Job
Now pick three, maybe four things that you can fit into a day! A little fact about me, I can fit my job, my work study, my extra curricular activity, and maybe half of a social life, into one, roughly 17 hour long Tuesday.
My point here being, when did glorifying "the hustle" become the norm? Why is it cool to brag about how you only got 4 hours of sleep last night? Why is the general notion, that if you're not working yourself to death, you must not want "it" bad enough? "It," being a successful life.
I want a successful life, who doesn't? Am I willing to work for it? Yes, of course. But why do I feel guilty for taking a night off and watching Netflix in bed? I know I deserve it, but one night of not event attempting to be productive, makes me feel lazy.
Like the visionary I am (ha, okay), let's start glorifying quiet, relaxing, me time. Make it a goal to spend 10 minutes to an hour on yourself. Start slow, maybe three days a week, vow to read 5 pages of a book; I'm sure my favorite coping skill, mindfulness and meditation will help with this. Work your way up to watching a couple of episodes of Friends on Netflix on a Monday night. Once you've perfected some guilt-free "me time", I am positive you will feel more relaxed and productive.
So, in conclusion, instead of bragging about how little sleep we get, start bragging about the 8 hours you get, and encourage your friends and family to strive for 8 hours too. Instead of going on and on about your all night cramming session, give yourself the time, and brag about the better grade you got when you spread your studying out over three days. Instead of glorifying the down sides of the hustle, glorify healthy, managed, rest and relaxation.
