Your college years are an exciting time, full of possibilities, especially when you go to a school like Asbury University. There are clubs, committees and countless events to take part in. The tricky part is finding a balance.
With the Activities Fair on Aug. 21, many freshmen, sophomores and even upperclassmen had the opportunity to get information from different groups on and off campus. This is the perfect time of year to get involved, which may lead to overcommitment. With too many commitments, students are left feeling overworked and stretched beyond their limits. With too little commitments, students are left stuck in their dorm room for the whole semester wondering what they’re missing. How do you find a balance?
Vice President of Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Baldwin and Associate Dean of Wholeness and Wellness Kevin Bellew offered up some healthy tips on dealing with new commitments for the coming semester.
#1. Look at the semester as a whole.
When you look at the semester as a whole, then you have the opportunity to get your priorities in order.
“You’re going to want to think through your semester from August to December, get it all in,” said Baldwin. “Go ahead and mark on your calendar all the big things that you have that are non-negotiables.” These non-negotiables include class, work, family and any personal things that you know are coming up.
“Get engaged and involved, but leave margins,” said Bellew. “Leave space for yourself in case you go over those margins. Anticipate time buffers for yourself like sickness, finals and midterms.”
#2. Know yourself.
A lot of the tricks behind not overcommitting start with knowing yourself. When you know yourself, then you are able to know your boundaries and how much you can handle.
“Knowing how you work does take some practice,” said Baldwin. This process can take several weeks, months or even years.
“You have to have the willingness to know your own limitations,” said Bellew. “You have to have a sort of humble humility. You need to know yourself and recognize that your needs are different than everyone else’s.”
#3. Budget your commitments.
It is important to budget your commitments like you budget your money.
“You can’t spend the same dollar two times, right?” said Baldwin. “I’ve been trying to learn to live on a time budget that’s actually realistic because I think I commit to things without actually figuring out how it’s going to work with my schedule.”
When you look at your energy like money, then you can create a “budget” on how you are going to spend that energy.
“If you need a lot of time to relax and recharge, then you should dedicate more time for yourself to do so,” said Baldwin. Budgeting your time as such will help create a healthy balance in your semester.
#4. Be realistic.
When trying to decide what to commit to, it all starts to look fun.
“You have to be realistic, not optimistic with your time,” said Baldwin. There are many good things in our world, but that doesn’t mean you need to burn yourself out on those good things.
You have to look at your time and have a healthy perspective on how much time you need to do the things you need to accomplish. You don’t need to pick one extreme or the other.
“There are 168 hours in a week,” said Baldwin. “You really have more time than you think.”
When you factor out the sleep, class, job, exercise and studying then you are left with 44 hours in the week. Where is that extra time going for you?
Make college fun. Get involved. Pursue what interests you. Find a club or committee that fits you. Find a balance that works.
