Let’s just start by addressing the soon to be obvious: this is a hypocritical blog post. Rather than writing from an area of expertise, I am expressing a shortcoming of myself and so many around me. To all the fellow busy bees, we need this:

I’m a rare creature.

As a morning person, I baffle others on a regular basis and have had to learn through social cues that before one’s coffee, I should only speak when spoken to.

I’ve also learned this is one of the most impressive traits a person can have. A lot of people exercise, work/do homework, or clean; but for some reason, because I tend to do these things before sunrise, I reach a whole new level of productivity. For me, waking up early for yoga is fitting something I love into a time of day I enjoy; people do this all the time by watching Netflix at night. Yet, I don’t usually give them the same applause for it, even if we have the same purpose.

This semester, I have noticed the multitude of conversations that come back to “being busy.” It’s the answer to how the fall has been, how our day is going, and how the weekend will be.

Completely guilty of abusing this boring adjective, I am so sick of every conversation that walks the fine line of complaining and bragging about how busy everyone’s lives seem to be. We’ve gotten to a point where that goes without saying, and how we got here is an issue of it’s own.

A large part of the reason I am such a morning person is to get an early start and make the most of each day. You can enjoy the tranquility of the day before rush hour traffic begins and commitments set in. However, at what point does making the most of your day become losing most of your day?

By moving through the motions and adding to our to-do lists every time we check something off, we’re actually not moving anywhere. What does it say about our days that the adjectives “fulfilling,” “inspiring,” “eye opening,” (dare I suggest) “relaxing,” or “rejuvinating,” are so far from our vocabulary?

If you’re not benefiting, growing or making an impact with the events and commitments packed into your day, is that really something to brag about? Have we created such a competitive environment in schools and the workforce that it’s better to be overworked at an internship/job you hate, than not have one at all?

We need to either find more value in the ways we dedicate our time, or find new values to dedicate our time to.

As I mentioned, I am inspired by these questions, not because I have the answers, but because I have started feeling the results of not honestly checking in with myself. Biting off more than we can chew shouldn’t be the only way we know how to eat.

I often stretch myself thin in order to fit in outlets for my various passions. Great intentions, but not always with the best execution. If we don’t make ourselves a priority as well, no one else will. Our own happiness should fall into those areas of passion that get the spotlight. Whether it’s making time for sleep, health or doing something simply for enjoyment, do it now.

Our schedules only change, they don’t actually slow down or open up. As one commitment passes, another opportunity arises. Join me in no longer waiting for empty calendars, and let’s get busy penciling ourselves in.