This past semester I found myself caught in a vicious cycle of burnout.
I would begin with bright eyes and big dreams of waking up early, working out, meal prepping and reading books for enjoyment.
My routine would last a few days before I accidentally slept through my 9 a.m. class. Going to the gym devolved into sitting in Davis Library for hours without moving, and dinner became Bojangles while skimming assigned class readings.
As we ring in a new year and semester, many of us have made resolutions to be more productive, organized and better — but will inevitably fall right back into the same old cycle.
When we set impossibly high standards for ourselves and often expect perfection, we set ourselves up to be continually disappointed.
Hustle culture — or the rise-and-grind mindset — is the idea that you should always be working on your next big aspiration. There is no such thing as working too much because the expectation is that if you meet your goal, you set a new one.
This culture makes us believe we should be able to wake up at 5am, workout, attend class and take aesthetic notes, complete all assignments, eat healthy home cooked meals all while listening to self improvement podcasts. Oh, and maintain a social life too.
Constantly feeling like you are barely holding on until the weekend, or the next break, or concluding that this just wasn’t your semester and the next one will be better means you will always be living in the future, letting the present pass you by.
Author Annie Dillard writes in "The Writing Life:" "How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
