Student Blog: Work Hard, Play Hard

I like to live my life by the saying “work hard, play hard”. I grew up hearing my parents tell me and my brothers that and it stuck with me. I did it in high school, but I really learned the true meaning of it when I got to college. I am currently juggling 15 hours of classes, homework, club meetings, and writing for BroadwayWorld. In comparison to others, it is a light load, and I do recognize that, but it has its struggles all the same. The weeks simultaneously feel like they are going fast and slow at the same time, which can make a person feel discombobulated, and it can be hard to find a balance. I am by no means an expert, but I have come up with a few ways that I manage my work-life balance that has resulted in getting good grades and seeing doing what I want to do (which is usually going to a show).

Get a physical planner: If there is one thing to take away from these tips, it is to put all of your assignments in a calendar right when you get them. First semester of freshman year, I used Google Calendar for all my assignments, and don’t get me wrong, it worked well enough, but since everything was electronic, it was easy to move things that didn’t have concrete due dates and procrastinate in favor of doing something else. I got a physical planner for the second semester, and it has made me stick to my assignments more. I absolutely hate scribbling things out, so writing assignments on specific dates in pen makes me ten times more likely to get them done by the date I give myself. 

Don’t overplan/overschedule: Even though I love to plan things down to the minute, most things do not work that smoothly. Planning a day that goes from class to class to a show is great in theory but often not in practice. Do not think that because your class ends at 12:30, you can always make a 2 pm matinee. Remember to prioritize your classes (that you are paying to go to) over the possibility of seeing a show. Do not overcrowd your schedule to the point that you’re stressing about how to get homework done on the 20-minute train ride to Grand Central (so totally not based on a true story…). I assure you that if you go to a show with a million things on your plate, you will spend 90% of the show stressing about what you need to do and only 10% of the time actually enjoying the show, and at that point, it’s money down the drain. Get that assignment done, go to that class, Broadway will still be there when you’re finished. 

Don’t leave things until the last minute: I know I said that example of finishing an assignment on the train was so totally not based on a true story, but I am sorry to say that that was a lie. My fantastic, beloved, amazing, incredible roommate (I, Charlotte Tolva, typed these adjectives out of my own free will) called me one day and said, “I’m at the SMASH box office. Do you want to go to second preview?” Without even thinking about it, I agreed to go, not remembering that my English midterm was due that night and I had only written the heading. I put my head down and worked for the majority of the day, but it did come down to proofreading and submitting it on the train to Grand Central. I can confidently say I do not recommend doing that. Last-minute opportunities like this will arise, and you should have fun, but do not leave a midterm (or other assignments) to the last minute. Keep your calendar a little free so you can say yes to things stress-free. 

Everyone has their own strategies for managing work-life balance, and these are what I have found to work for me. Don’t take my word as gospel, but it works for me, and I will preach what I know works. You should work hard in school but not to the point that you have no free time. Finding a balance is one of the most important things you can do.