ASU offers so many opportunities to be involved and get a head start on your career, but what happens when you find that you’ve over-committed yourself to too many responsibilities?
In article by Frank Rizzo of Marymount University, “With so many choices and only 24 hours in a day, students must learn to select and prioritize.”
It can be tempting to fill every waking moment of your calendar, but sometimes we must decide that enough is enough. Deciding which obligation to give up, however, can be challenging.
If you feel that you’ve over-committed yourself and have taken on too many responsibilities, something needs to go. Even though it may seem like you need to juggle a packed schedule to be successful, if you end up letting deadlines slip and choose activities that do not match your goals, the extra stress is not worth it.
According to Jessica Linnell in her book “Off to College, Now What?” “It is better to give 100 percent effort toward a few commitments than 60 percent effort to too many.”
Every semester, it’s helpful to do a “time inventory.” Write down everything that you do on a piece of paper. Then, write down how many hours you spend doing each activity. Be sure to include all time that is required including travel and preparation time.
Then you have to ask yourself a very important question: “What do I get out of this activity?”
The answer could be “enjoyment” or “networking opportunities for a future job.” However, if you are having difficulty answering that question, it could be a sign that activity might not belong on your schedule.
Once you’ve finished your time inventory, review everything you’ve written down and decide if the benefit you receive from an activity matches the time you are putting in. If it does, the activity stays. If it doesn’t, the activity goes. Sometimes, when every activity seems to be valuable, the question becomes which is the least valuable.
It is important to take a time inventory each semester, as your priorities change frequently in college. For example, you might change your activities as your narrow your focus on a future career or you might choose to become less involved during a semester in which you are taking particularly difficult classes.
Don’t forget that you not only have to leave room in your schedule to attend class, but also to review your notes, study and do homework. According to the Academic Resource Center at Duke University, “carrying a full load of college credits is essentially equivalent to having a full time job.”
It is easy to forget how much work it takes outside of class time to thoroughly prepare for a difficult class. Be sure to take into account the realistic time commitment each class requires before piling too many other things on your plate.
Reach the columnist at Emily.Muller@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
