The Art of Overachieving
October 25, 2023
Author: Miranda Jefferds
Editor: Carina Trama
8:30 a.m.: Alarm one goes off. I press the snooze button.
8:39 a.m.: The snooze alarm goes off, and the gnawing pit of hunger in my stomach finally pulls me out of bed. I am officially going to be late for Calculus.
9:00 a.m. - 9:50 a.m.: I listen to my Calculus teacher talk and begin to worry about the time and effort required to fully decipher my notes and understand later.
From 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., all I can think about is my tiredness from going to bed last night at 2:00 a.m. and the upcoming night of studying. I am exhausted and frustrated at the thought of sacrificing my sleep, wellness, and health again for the sake of my homework.
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.: I attend my Chemistry 130 lecture and discussion and struggle to keep up with the material in class. Last night, I stayed up late catching up on my lecture readings and didn’t have time to get to this chapter.
5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: I see my roommate for the first time all day and grab dinner. After a long day of walking between classes, I’m too tired for the gym.
7:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m.: I settle into the living room of Mosher-Jordan and complete one out of nine EHS training modules for my new lab job on the Medical Campus. Although I’m excited to begin this new job, I’m dreading the time I will have to allot to complete these prerequisites before my first day.
9:00 p.m. - 9:20 p.m.: I take a five-minute break that turns into 20 minutes. A part of me knows I should keep studying instead of taking a break so I can go to bed earlier, but all I want to do is scroll on my phone.
From 9:20 p.m. to 12:00 a.m., I finish some of my work and plan out how to get the rest of my assignments done this week without locking myself in my room for hours. I feel like since I began school, there hasn’t been a moment where I don’t have something on my mind.
12:00 a.m.- 12:30 a.m.: I get ready for bed, meditate for five minutes, and take my multivitamins because I have forgotten to for the past two days. It feels like I’m constantly playing a game of catch-up when it comes to my health. I call my parents, scroll on TikTok and finally go to sleep.
12:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.: I sleep.
Sometimes, 24 hours in a day doesn’t seem like enough. As a freshman, I struggle with keeping up with my studies, maintaining hobbies, establishing healthy habits, and making time for a social life. Entering the University of Michigan has been wonderful; I am surrounded by an ambitious and diverse group of people, and there is an endless supply of opportunities. But this environment poses a question: How do we choose which opportunities to take?
As a person who values leading a well-rounded life, I was determined to make the most of these opportunities at Michigan. In the first week of my freshman year, I made plans to join a yoga studio, write for a science magazine, get a job, achieve all A’s, and find my best friends. I wanted to continue all of my passions at the next level, but as time went on, I soon realized that doing all of these things at once was utterly unrealistic. While trying out new yoga studios, doing club and job applications, studying, and balancing a social life, I began to sacrifice my health to achieve this “well-rounded” life. My overachieving mindset has created a dilemma in balancing my wellness with what that I want and love to do.
I still don’t know how to solve this dilemma fully. As a biochemistry major, my schedule is naturally pretty full; some days are extra busy, but I’m working towards making room for the things that matter to me outside of academics. For example, I make time for my friends by getting together for a “family dinner” at least one time a week, strengthen relationships by going to yoga with friends, go to the farmer’s market on non-gameday Saturdays to get fresh food, and explore Ann Arbor, and create self-care routines for myself that accommodate my busy life and make sure I stay healthy. Sometimes, I have days where I feel like I’m doing too much or not enough. Still, I recognize that I am not supposed to work 24/7 and that it’s necessary to set boundaries for myself and prioritize my health and wellness over my goals (not just the other way around). That’s just the art of the overachiever: life is often “go-go-go” when there needs to be a little bit more rest and balance.
Image: Julia Bonnano
