by Sara Thompson
Wikipedia calls it “the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects”. For my fellow un-sciencey types out there, we’ll just call it time. And with all the rushing to and fro we do during this awful academic season of ‘mad May’, I’m going to attempt to speak for all of us here: when it comes to time, most of us never seem to have enough of it.
All of a sudden, it’s May. Exams are looming, and somewhere on your desk, under those enormous, expensive, rarely-read textbooks, abandoned in favour of episodes of Greys Anatomy or How I met your Mother, are the many assignments that are now due – all at once.
And then there are the promises that you made this time last year (or, if you’re a first year, the ones you are probably about to make sometime in the very near future) – “Next semester, it’s ALL going to be different!”
No discouragement intended, but if you’re like most of us, it probably won’t be.
That doesn’t mean to say you can’t or won’t improve your time management skills. I’m sure it’s possible (or so I’ve been told!). But try not to stress too much – it’s only going to make it worse. Don’t beat yourself up too much about it all in the present. After all, what’s done is done, and now is the time we get to pick up the pieces of our academic mess and straighten everything up for the home run.
“Time is free, but it’s priceless.
You can’t own it, but you can use it.
You can’t keep it, but you can spend it.
Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”
– Harvey MacKay
Keep the goal in focus, but when you need a break, take one. Try to find the balance between study and leisure – I’ve heard there is one!
Time – its precious, and its valuable. Make the most of every opportunity. And don’t worry – it’s not too much longer before the textbooks can go away for a while…
…until next semester, anyway!
