"That's your schedule?" Whenever I pull up my Google calendar in class, that reaction is fairly common - my calendar is filled to the brim with color-coded blocks for every class, meeting, and practice I have. This school year I have undoubtedly been the busiest I have been in my whole life, but looking at my schedule draws a different reaction from me. When I look at my calendar, I'm always filled with a sense of purpose and happiness, even if I know it means a stressful day ahead. Call me weird or whatever, but I really just enjoy being busy.
Since I was a little kid, I abhorred being "bored". You can ask my mom! Anytime I was bored it was like the world was ending; whether that was reading or writing or going to dance class or playing a video game, I had to be doing something, anything at all times to be satisfied. I still experience that same feeling, except now it's on a much larger scale. Instead of reading and writing and playing games, I fill my free time with clubs and leadership positions, classes and homework, and working on this blog. Some of my friends tell me I should slow down, take a break, eliminate the stress that is a constant presence in my life. And they're not wrong; stress is inevitable. Sometimes there are days that I don't have time to eat until like 5pm in the evening because I had an event or class every hour on the hour and it can feel like I'm drowning, but is it weird to think that all of the stress is worth it?
My enjoyment of being "busy" is partly due to my personality and partly due to the things I am a part of. In regards to my personality, I just dislike being static; I dislike the idea of doing nothing. Constantly being busy keeps me motivated and focused - running on a tight schedule makes it easier to prioritize, and I live for the feeling of accomplishment I get after finishing a full day of meetings and work. I have a penchant for constant flux, which might be why I always hated being bored as a kid, and why I love cities so much; it's fun to always have someplace to be, a new opportunity to learn. Though I have learned over the years to cherish the moments of nothingness that are inevitable in life - I've gained a new appreciation for just sitting outside and people-watching, and I have developed a serious relationship with naps - I almost always prefer to be doing something.
I also credit this to the things I devote my time to. If I was always busy doing Organic Chemistry homework or reorganizing my room, I would definitely be singing an entirely different tune. I love what I'm learning in school - even though my BME classes can be rough sometimes, I don't mind devoting the extra time to doing work outside of class because it's genuinely interesting and exciting. Writing for my school newspaper takes up time that I could be spending on watching Jane the Virgin (which is sooooo good, btdubs), but it makes me so happy that I don't even bat an eyelash. Everything that I am involved in I am passionate about, and that's really what makes my schedule bearable. I truly enjoy what I'm doing because it is purposeful and important to my life, and in the end that's what wakes me up in the morning.
I might be the busiest I've ever been in my whole life, but I can truthfully say that I am the happiest I have ever been. In the end, what I've learned from my constant state of "busy" is this - if you are busy doing things you love, you're guaranteed to love being busy.
Do you like being busy? How do you handle a packed schedule?
