I WROTE two papers last night. I haven't slept for a week. I have five midterms. This is the week from hell. Across Grounds students can be heard uttering these phrases. Perk up your ears in class as the guy sitting next to you moans about all the work he has been doing. Be prepared for the girl on the other side to lament her burden while trying to one-up his claims. That is, if the both of them haven't already fallen asleep at their desks from exhaustion. It's that busy time of the year -- midterm time. The chorus of University students has begun chanting again. "We're overworked, overtired and overwhelmed." Well, I have bad news -- it may be your own fault. And the best prescription for this general malaise is quite easy to follow: Be lazy.
I know, that word is anathema to most University students. We work hard to succeed academically so that we can get good grades. We aspire to the best graduate and professional schools. We want the best jobs. We are constantly striving to improve ourselves. We set out to make a difference. We volunteer to change our community. We intend to better the world. We do all these things because we are driven to achieve and succeed.
Success and achievement can be wonderful things, but we must ask ourselves what price we are willing to pay for them. Lost sleep. Long hours of working into the night. Having little free time to devote to relaxation. Facing a seemingly endless onslaught of stress and pressure. There are many wonderful causes out there and great ways to use your time. But you do not need to devote yourself to each of them. You have a perfectly good right to spend your time lounging on the sofa in front of an old "Simpsons" rerun, if that's how you choose to use it.
During this hectic period around Fall Break you ought to take a step backwards. Analyze what it is that you are doing and where all your time is actually going. Make a list if that helps you to think about these things. Then, and this is the most important step, reflect upon why you are here -- at college in general, and at the University in particular. Are you here primarily to get a degree? Is this a stepping-stone to some further level of education? Are you here to escape from the folks and have some fun? Be honest with yourself. Then, prioritize your life.
The culture here at the University is very competitive. Each year Madison House turns away people who want to volunteer their time free of charge. If you want to give tours of Grounds -- a task for which you might be paid at other schools -- you must pass through a rigorous selection process from the University Guide Service. The same holds if you want to get involved with the Jefferson Society, the Judiciary Committee, Honor or a host of other activities. It is very easy to become ensnared in this ultra-competitive culture. We fall for the trap of believing that doing stuff is always good. Well, it's not.
Sometimes the best use one could make of one's time is to get that extra hour or two of sleep; or to watch TV for an hour. Or, heaven forbid, what if we just didn't schedule anything to do for one night?
If a night devoid of work, obligations and meetings seems sacrilegious to you, then you have become blinded by the University culture. Recognize your problem and confront it. However, even the great majority, to whom such a night sounds appealing, may still be a slave to this culture, if we don't end up leaving ourselves time for such a stress-free night once in a while.
Our healthy appetites have caused us to bite off more than we may want to be chewing. The best solution simply is to spit something out. In other words, consider dropping something. Reduce your level of commitments and free up your time. As hard as it may seem, you might want to resign from some commitment.
Long term, you should wise up. Recognize the constraints and learn to limit yourself. Nobody else will do it for you. When you make your schedule for next semester, remember how you feel now. Consider this the next time somebody asks you to volunteer. Save these emotions for the next time you're about to sign up for some new activity.
If your motivation and drive overcomes all these considerations, then you should get involved. But remember this: You made the choice. I don't want to have to hear about how busy you are, how much work you have, or how little sleep you've gotten. Besides, I won't have time to listen -- I'll be too busy taking one of my 12 midterms.
(Benjamin Grosz is a Cavalier Daily viewpoint writer.)
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