So you came to college wanting to “get involved” and accidentally became Drake Busy?

Don’t be ashamed! We’ve all been there. Drake often attracts the high-achieving academic superstar who fills their calendar with extracurriculars and social outings. These same students think they can always sleep when they’re dead.

As a wise, seasoned, old and washed- up senior, I’m here to give some advice on how I sustained my mental health and my social calendar these last four years. Let me tell you, it wasn’t easy. There were some evenings I just wanted to curl up in a blanket, watch Gilmore Girls and eat raspberry sorbet. I got through it and you can too, but first, let me leave you with some sage advice.

1) If it’s not in my calendar, it doesn’t happen.

Google Calendar is my holy grail. I have it color coded and synced across all my devices. Even though they happen every week, I put in classes and recurring meetings so that I don’t double book myself. If I receive a potential invitation or see an event that looks interesting, I place a ‘hold’ on my calendar to keep my schedule open for that or as a reminder to make an appearance. For example, if DUiN will be in the breezeway from 2 to 5 p.m. selling stickers, I throw the whole thing on my calendar so that I can pop in and work around the other things already on my calendar.

2) Set a cut off — and stick to it.

We all have alarms on our phones that tell us when to wake up, so why not have one that tells us when to go to bed? I have an alarm that encourages me to start winding down at 10 p.m. I admit it’s not always easy to stick to this, especially when studying for big exams, but giving myself a self-imposed limit makes sure I am respecting my own time and the things that matter to me outside of schoolwork and my leadership positions. Speaking of…

3) Gradually take on leadership positions.

Over the course of my time at Drake, I have held 11 different leadership positions and been part of nine student organizations. However, I wasn’t part of all of these at the same time. Almost all of them ebbed and flowed. For example, I didn’t join the Greek hHonor sSociety until I moved off-campus and rolled off the board for my residence hall. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘join one club that aligns with your career interests and one for fun.’ Yeah, that didn’t cut it for me. I joined the choir, a sorority, the Adams Leadership Institute, my residence hall board, the volunteer tour guide team and the Public Relations Student Society of America. My involvement with each of these organizations was small as a first-year. I picked up a leadership position in one organization and then replaced it with another when I stepped away. At my peak, I held five leadership positions during my senior year fall semester, but that was only possible because of the structure I had developed and the support I received.

4) Always leave time for homework and friendship.

All work and no play made Maria a sad and anxious mess. My first semester of college was rough since my habit in high school was homework on weeknights and hanging out with friends on the weekends. Well, all of a sudden I could have dinner with my friends every night! During the time I lived on-campus, it was so easy to hang out with friends because they were right there in class and living with me. Once we moved off-campus, I had to intentionally make plans to hang out with those same friends. Some friendships receded, but the ones that remained grew even stronger when we both put in the effort to keep it.

Sometimes you can combine these things. I study with my friends, and they encourage me to get my work done. The greatest reward is hanging out with them once our work is complete!

5) You know your capacity best.

I’m not going to tell you to “say yes more!” or “it’s okay to say no!” Instead, I’m going to trust you to know what you can handle. Listen to your body, your brain and your heart and give them what they need. If the structure of a packed schedule is going to help you get through four years of college, then who am I to say you’re overcommitting yourself? Just make sure you schedule in time to take care of yourself.

There you have it! Five tips to help you be Drake Busy and somewhat balanced. The advice that always seems to find its way back to me applies now and will even more so after graduation: ‘You can have it all, just not all at the same time.’ So, go out there and have it all, Bulldogs, just not all at the same time.