Photo by Ruslan Sikunov on Pexels
Written By Sanya Mehra
Back when I was a first-year, all I cared about was my academics because there was simply no time to fit in anything else. I wanted to be involved in clubs, volunteer outside of university and maybe even have a job, but back then, it was too impossible to dream of since my first year was the most difficult time of my entire university experience. From learning how to find classes, commuting for 1.5 hours in horrid conditions starting at 6:30 am for my 8:30 am lectures, to seeing the bell curve system and discovering that not even praying can save you if you don’t start early, I learned a key skill that I am abundantly grateful for: time management.
I wanted to desperately pop the bubble I was trapped in and do something else, something more than just doing exams or taking notes for those exams. So, at the start of the second year, when I finally had it and wanted more of myself (which I knew I had in me!), I looked for ways to organize my life. Being someone who takes four classes and wants to do very well in them, I knew this would be a very difficult task, but nonetheless, I decided to start somewhere.
The first thing I did, and I know it may seem very basic, was get a planner. Yes, a PHYSICAL planner. I realized that, despite being the laziest, I can’t ignore a deadline or task if it’s something I have to grab a pencil for and cross out physically. This helped me organize my week so well that I was able to prioritize my tasks, divide coursework into different days, still be lazy and have some space for just the few things I wanted to add to my life.
I also decided to suck it up and discipline myself. This was the hardest thing to do since all I really want to do is get 12 hours of sleep (I know, insane) every day, but I forced myself to do it anyway by bribing myself (eg, I get coffee every time I go to the library for more than three hours). Since that was a very good strategy, my brain rewired immediately to stop doom scrolling, sip some coffee and type away my essays or notes.
Lastly, I noticed that if I didn’t want to do something, I knew I would never do it. While being lazy is a thing I excel at, being disciplined is something I am just as good at if I believe in myself. So, if you want to fix your schedule, leave room open for other activities and excel in life, learn to be efficiently lazy!