The triangle of school has become an almost infamous internet image. In it, you have three options: good grades, social life, and enough sleep. You are then instructed to "choose two." The triangle has even been expanded into a shape with more sides in which further categories are added to the list, including food, hobbies, and extracurricular activities. Although the image is good for a chuckle, I have always felt dissatisfied with it. I don't want to miss anything. Do I really have to choose just two?

Yes.

And no.

I have never been content with doing the minimum. I am not happy if my work is mediocre, nor am I happy if my schedule is not packed. Busyness fuels me. While my obsessive need for activity helps me accomplish a lot, I have also had to face the reality that I am only human. If I push too hard, I break down eventually. There has to be some limit to the craziness of my life.

OK, kids, so here's what I have learned after years of running till I drop: You can do everything, but you can't do everything all at once.

First of all, there is no substitute for organization. It can be incredibly difficult to keep all facets of your life lined up neatly. And if you're like me and want a life of insane workloads, you will never truly succeed because new things will always be popping up and throwing things out of whack. But it really is worth it to take the time to get your life organized, preferably on paper. At the beginning of a week, write down not only specific scheduled events such as work and class, but also optional events, social time, and time to complete tasks such as homework. Schedule in eating, sleep time, and exercise if you know you might neglect those. Homework is always a bit of a wildcard, but by a couple weeks into a class, you should get a rough idea of how much time homework will take. Writing it all down makes it more real. Assess how much time you will really have and figure out when you need to be doing what. Plans will change, so don't be crushed if you don't end up working on that paper at 3pm Wednesday. Just use the schedule as a rough guideline to help you gauge what your week will look like.

After looking realistically at your schedule, you may experience feelings of panic. Relax. Remember, sacrifices will have to be made. There is simply not enough time in 24 hours to accomplish everything we could be doing. When I say sacrifices have to be made, though, I don't mean you have to drop aspects of your life completely. You can sleep, get good grades and have a social life. They just may not be happening concurrently all the time. During midterms or finals, school tends to take over our lives. Most people will naturally start dropping other activities such as sleep and socializing to focus on studying. This is precisely what we should be doing all the time: setting priorities for a given moment and allowing other things to fall away temporarily when another one demands our attention. College life should be an ebb and flow.

Often we are pressured to believe that school is the most important of the triangle's options. Well, yes, school is very important. If you are investing the time and money into college, you should absolutely honor that and do your best to make your time worthwhile. But remember, a dead student isn't useful to anybody. Sometimes you really just need a good night's sleep, even if that means not finishing all your homework on time. Your health is important too. Or sometimes, you may find you are starved for time with people from isolating yourself with your work too long. For your own mental health, it may become imperative that you take some time to just relax with your friends. Neither school, sleep, or social life are always going to be the most important. You are the priority. And whatever you need now should take precedence.

Prepare to fail. Figuring out how to balance your life in a way that leaves you feeling happy and fulfilled will take time. Sometimes you will find yourself way too overbooked and stumble through a sleep-deprived, tear-filled quarter of exhaustion. Other times, you may pass up opportunities and then wish you'd had the guts to go for it. Either way, it is OK. College is a learning ground in so many ways, and it will definitely prepare you for figuring out the give and take of a busy schedule. Just keep going and stay focused on the things that are important to you. Dare to go for what you really want. Accept that you will have to gracefully bow out. Keep seeking balance.

I am not doing everything, but it is enough. I want it all, and I will have all I want. I will bend before I break. I will put myself first. I will not choose just two. I will choose infinitely. I will choose me.