This is a difficult article for me to write. Not because of what I am writing about is emotional for me or anything like that, it’s just time commitments. I sometimes plan what I am going to do in a day, plan what I am going to do in the next few days, or even something that I want to buy after Christmas in the January sales. I then come to do these things and think, ‘I haven’t got anyway near enough time to do this’.
Even on any given days, I always find something gets in the way. I think as students, we have difficulty prioritising what we need to do. We have lectures, social events, any extra curricular activities that we might do, so any time to rest and plan ahead is hard to come by. I for one was thinking of buying a games console after Christmas, as I knew they would be cheap and thought it would be fun to have. But even a month or two in advance, I am thinking about commitments I will have, such as on my course and other activities such as writing for this magazine and thinking whether I can afford this and, therefore, whether it is worth it. (I am now thinking maybe not).
The point I am trying to make is, as students, we have now and ever growing list of responsibilities and activities that mean our spare time has been dramatically eradicated. There is a part of me that longs for the days when I had almost nothing to worry about, particularly in my early teens and younger. On the other hand, this is the life we are choosing. We are choosing to go to university in order to enhance our career prospects and gain a wider range of skills and attributes for our personalities.
So my advice to anyone struggling to know what to do with their time would be to embrace your new lives. This is the kind of opportunity that only comes along once in a lifetime; when you’re older you’ll have no choice but to focus on your responsibilities. Now we’re in a lucky position where we can choose what we want to do, whilst also having a good time. So I reiterate, embrace your new life and you will enjoy it.
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