Make or break: the importance of having a schedule
Wow it’s good to be back writing one of these again. You might be wondering where I’ve been? Why such a big gap from the last article you posted? In an attempt to protect my ego, I could say I’ve been traveling the world and reflecting on myself. But that would be painful over exaggeration, that is far from what’s been actually happening the past few months. In all honesty, the past few months have been full of ups and downs. The ups have been that I’ve gotten to travel a tremendous amount. I was able to visit my friends at the University of Arizona, visit my girlfriend in Nashville, and visit my old classmates in San Diego, all within a three month span.
As far as ups that’s been about it, because my personal life has been a total mess. I was so fired up to enter the new year guns blazing, and it was like that for the first couple weeks, but something happened. Last semester I felt very accomplished with my progress in community college. I was doing well in my classes, I was building up my personal brand, I was balancing my extracurriculars, and I felt proud. But this semester my day to day took a turn for the worst. I ended up going weeks on end without doing anything. Going to class, doing the bare minimum, and losing that spark I once had. It was miserable, my day to day was awful. Basically if I wasn’t hanging out with friends or traveling somewhere, I hated myself. Days started looking the same and I felt like I was losing my sense of identity. If I had to sum up the past three months in one word, it would be apathy.
I tried multiple times throughout the past few months to escape this cycle but nothing really seemed to work. BUT CLEARLY something ended up working or else I wouldn’t be writing this article right now. So what was it? What piece of wisdom do I have to bestow upon you today reader. It’s a simple one but I can’t stress this enough. You NEED to have structure.
The biggest difference between college and high school is that there is no more structure, you have full freedom. Immediately you think this is a positive and it definitely is, but it is absolutely a double edged sword. It is comically easy to fall into a cycle of being a chud all day, showing up to classes, doing the bare minimum, and that is it. I used to laugh at that idea until I fell into it myself. Unfortunately this is the reality for many college students, but it is even more apparent for community college students. Classes are easier, you’re still in the comfort of your own home, and you have little responsibility.
So how did I go about actually implementing structure in my life? I did a few things. First is meticulously scheduling things. I spent 2 hours obnoxiously planning what the goal is for each day of the week and what I should generally be doing each hour of the day. This provided me with a schedule similar to highschool, but the nice part was that I could control it. I highly suggest setting a few hours aside to schedule out your week. When designing your schedule the biggest tip I can give is to make it as enjoyable as possible. Romanticize your life, choose to study at a fun spot, walk to the gym, schedule time to relax. Enjoyability = sustainability.
Community college can either make or break your future. It can be the best 2 years of your life or a complete waste. Don’t forgo this amazing opportunity to grow in every aspect of your life. There will never be another time in your life where your school work will be this easy, where you have little expenses, where you have the free time to work on personal projects that you care about. Make the most of each circumstance, take the scenic route, live in the present moment, structure your life to work for you, and be proud of simply showing up each day. That is what the past three months of my life have taught me.
