Free weekdays are opportunities to excel

If the saying “time is money” were true, then many of us college students would be completely bankrupt. We often get caught up in an endless cycle of wasted time and procrastination, failing at the ultimate ideal of prioritizing effectively as a means of college success. If I win the lottery, I’ll probably waste my money on a plethora of worthless items, just like I waste my time.

Many college students long for a day or two without class just to balance out their hectic week of school, work, studying and other activities. Call me crazy, but as someone who has two days off, I sometimes wish I could have a Monday-through-Friday class schedule. Having Tuesdays and Thursdays off sounds too good to be true for most; however, it hinders my ability to use time wisely. One or more days off during the week can paradoxically make college students counter-productive. Knowing you have an extra day or two to get things done causes you to self-justify your procrastination.

Despite the curse of being counter-productive, many students take the wise path of using their days off effectively.

First-year nursing student Paulette Pelayo said she thinks having a day off gives her a slight advantage over students who have a five-day week.

“My Friday off is kind of like my day,” Pelayo said. “My day to relax and not feel pressured to look at the time or make sure I’m not running late to class.”

Students such as Pelayo may use their days off to spend more time with their families, get a job, run errands, do laundry, work out, spend the day in Santa Monica or catch up on reading at Sunset Rec.

Even if you choose to use your day off to relax, it is important not to let yourself be counter-productive in the long run. By using your time wisely, you will feel like a million bucks.

So far, I have used my days off to sleep in, eat, take a nap, go to the gym, eat, hang out, eat and go back to sleep.

When I initially set my schedule, I thought I would use my days off much more productively by catching up on schoolwork and using more effective ways to relax and reboot for my next day of class. And I can’t possibly do any major work on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays because I am too exhausted after a day of five hour back-to-back classes, which leaves me with a super-fun weekend of catching up. I am guilty of committing one of the seven deadly sins: sloth (and perhaps gluttony). I am a believer in using a day for pure relaxation, but I also believe there is a difference between doing nothing and doing nothing with a purpose.

However, it is only second week, which means I can make up for the lack of smart usage of my days off. Instead of falling into the trap of being too laid-back on classless days, students should plan their days off beforehand to make the most of their time. If time is money, we should learn not to use it so frivolously.

A day off can help us de-stress and take on the rest of the week with high spirits, just like first-year environmental studies student Justin Manduke.

“My Tuesday off is special because I get to wake up on my own and start the day off with some feel-good music like Stevie Wonder,” Manduke said. “You’ve got to love Stevie.”

Think about it: It’s spring quarter in beautiful Los Angeles. Make the most of your days off, and you will benefit from catching up with studying, getting a tan or being metaphysically touched by Stevie Wonder himself.

Who knows, with all that time well spent, you may even win the lottery.

If you would like time-management advice, e-mail Ghoogassian at [email protected]. Send general comments to [email protected].