1. Slow People:
Don't get in our way.
We have things to do. A lot of them. And nowhere on our daily to-do list does it say, “take a leisurely stroll through campus.” Whenever one of us busy girls get stuck behind anyone walking slower than our “I needed to be somewhere else five minutes ago” power walk, our world slowly begins to fall apart. If we can get to our next meeting/class/appointment in two minutes by zipping across campus, then that is how we insist on getting there. If you are the poor, slow soul who ends up in front of us, be prepared to have us walk uncomfortably close behind you until we find the right time to pass you like you're grandma in the fast lane.
2. Planners:
There is not a single planner that is perfectly tailored to fit our ridiculously busy life.
There are not enough tabs, color coded labels, or time slots between Lily Pulitzer, Emily Ley, or even Queen Erin Condron to get our lives together. They either offer too much (honestly, why would a college student need a meal planner?) or they don’t offer enough (I mean, am I can't be the only one who need more than five bullets on my daily to-do lists?). We’ve even considered getting a separate planner for our clubs, sorority events, and classes...and then maybe getting a [smaller] one for our [basically nonexistent] personal lives.
3. Speaking of Schedules:
There are no words for the anxiety that occurs whenever our schedule gets messed up.
Every second of our 24-hour day is planned out. We may not have allotted the time to sit down and actually write it out, but we have it mapped out, and the success of our day depends solely on this time management. Maybe we planned for our trip to Starbucks to take 10 minutes, if it takes any longer than that, another part of our day will have to be cut down to make up for that lost time. And then we become a frazzled mess and start sprinting across campus [see #1] to compensate for whatever deficit in time we have created.
4. Small Talk:
Ain’t nobody got time for that.
Sorry, Mom, I really hate that you called me to chat about the weather and to tell me all about whatever annoying thing Dad is doing, but my patience doesn’t exist because my day doesn’t look anything like my planner said it would. I know I’m being a sucky daughter; I’ll pencil you in for tomorrow.
5. Maintaining Relationships:
Our social lives are basically non-existent.
And by basically, I mean definitely. We spend so much time juggling our responsibilities that we forget to pause the business for some fun. When someone does get us to come out, our mind is always somewhere else- the next thing on our to-do list, tomorrow’s meeting, or that we must remember to call our mother; it’s never fully at rest. In our minds, letting lose means wasting time, and we already have to cram 30 hours into each 24-hour day.
6. Making Time for Ourselves:
It’s tough being the girl that does it all. It's toughest on us.
We have too much pride to turn down an opportunity but we also have to accept that we can only divide ourselves among so many things before we collapse. Which is why the biggest struggle for a busy girl is to take care of herself. All of the aspects of our lives that we have given so much of time and energy to will eventually be robbed of that attention when we end up burnt out, exhausted, or physically ill (yes, stress can actually make you sick). So us busy girls have to turn off our phones, lose our planners, and learn to say no every once in a while. Even if it is just a few times a month. You’ll be amazed at what an unplanned day will do for the soul. Whether it’s a nice stroll through campus on a breezy fall afternoon, hanging around a bonfire with a bunch of people that cherish your free time more than you do, or calling your mom to gossip about whatever embarrassing thing your aunt did last week, your sanity will thank you.
