Nine weeks into the semester, with a few class lectures, rainbows of junk food and a handful of exams behind us, it’s a good time to reflect on proper time mismanagement.
It’s easy to become transfixed with the lull of inertia in at an age when we should be constantly moving from one activity to the next. But personal responsibility can keep laziness and boredom in check.
I spend excessive brain power imagining the things I could be doing if I weren’t obligated to study, write or research. The result is usually a B average, three sheets, two pillows and one set of oversized couch cushions holding up my new blanket fort.
But the moment an exam is over or the essay is handed in, students revert to creatures of ennui. Compare the dreams and desires from last week’s all nighter to the calendar you’ve kept in the past seven days.
With the obstruction of academic responsibility firmly wedged between us and personal freedom, bikes needed riding, new albums wanted listening and every post on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram demanded attention.
Even Crossfit seemed like a good idea. But without the extra work holding me back, I watched eight episodes of “New Girl,” ate a whole frozen pizza and reached the end of the Internet.
It’s an underutilized universality that we always want what we can’t have, but time shouldn’t go unappreciated when it’s finally acquired.
This semester abroad has been an unexpected experiment in living with the brakes on. For the first time what I’m calling my adult life — see part about blanket fort — I don’t have a high-demanding job or two. I’m not on an internship. I’m not in any clubs or organizations and I go to class three and a half hours a week.
I’m drowning in unprecedented quantities of free time, and it’s been challenging to make each day count without ticking on someone else’s clock.
We will never again have this much say in how we spend our time. Down the line, our activities will be dominated by the demands of careers, families and the fear of that middle-age belly that comes with a slowing metabolism.
There will never be a more age-appropriate time to wait tables, attempt a drinking contest, let your parents feed you or shop at Urban Outfitters. The era of crashing on a friend’s couch is dwindling, and soon a few of our favorite things will be lost to the pressures of maintaining a sane and mature image.
You know those guys who run around the quad in gorilla and banana suits? They’re doing it right.
Jobs, classes and clubs keep us connected in a chain reaction of opportunity. Being busy keeps your mind sharp and creative, and it keeps you hungry. Friends from the office want to party after a hard day. Going to class, we meet like-minded people who can introduce us to new interests. Concentrating on studies prompts imagination and motivation to do the things that make us happy.
As the saying goes, if you’re bored then you’re boring, and we do not have time to waste on being blasé.
Morgan Searles is a 21-year-old mass communication senior from Baton Rouge studying abroad in Amsterdam.