How am I going to have time for this? – A question that has plagued many of us as we journey forth into our further education as adults. Some of us have kids. some of us have full time jobs already, and let’s face it we all have hobbies and things we want to do outside of out work.
Many times it feels like we just don’t have time for it all, and that is true to an extent. I have been in the online CS program at OSU since 2019, taking one class at a time, with breaks when I was laid off (which has happened a lot). And still, even with only one class it seemed like I never had enough time, and that was hard on me.
Eventually, I realized I needed to figure out what was a need vs a want. I wanted to play video games, but I needed to study and spend time with my significant other. I wanted to play my instruments and write my stories more than I wanted to play games. So on, and so forth until I found myself writing a list.
I separated all of my time expenditures into needs, constructive wants, and non-constructive wants, but what exactly does this all mean? What the heck is a constructive want and how are these prioritized?
Needs – These must happen. These are things like doing my school work, showing up to my job on time, working late when I need to do so, taking care of my laundry, cooking food to eat, helping with the housework, spending some time with my partner, and so on.
Constructive Wants – These are hobbies or activities that instill growth in me in some way. The more I write, the better writer I can become. The more I practice music, the better I am at the given instrument. I put the Gym in this category, even though it is rare I ever skip the gym for a need it has happened. Going to the gym keeps my mental health in check and makes me stronger. I also place “quality” time with my friends here as friendships and social activity are important mentally and provide an opportunity to foster growth at the social level.
Non-Constructive Wants – These are things that I want to do, that do not foster growth for me in the same way a constructive want does. This category are the first things I had to cut, and seldom have time for now. These are things like going out to bars, playing video games, watching television, eating out at a restaurant, going shopping for non-necessities, and so on.
My needs are always scheduled, followed by any constructive want that means the most to me, usually the gym first followed by playing music, and almost always my wants are cut. I have not played video games as I used to in so long. The funny thing is, between classes, I end up putting more constructive wants on the schedule!
A typical weekday for me now is to wake up, do some schoolwork and/or go to the gym. Go to work. After work I do more homework and play music if I have time before spending about 30 minutes with my significant other. And repeat until the weekend.
Weekends typically looks like wake-up into 3 to 4 hours of homework, followed by the gym and grocery shopping, and then continuing with homework for 2 hours or so until we go see some of our friends or have people over to eat food and socialize.
In Conclusion, I have to say, scheduling my days in such a way has helped me overcome the stress and, at times, loneliness of being a working adult student. By acknowledging the things that are most important, and ensuring those happen first I have maintained a more positive view and it is reflected in my work, as well as my social interactions.
If you find yourself scrambling, panicking, and fretting over how much time you feel you don’t have, maybe this approach can help you as well. Needs come first, followed by things that help you grow and fulfill you. Who cares if your friends out level you if you are leveling up in life, and dodging a hangover is probably a healthy choice anyway!
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