As the third week of Interim wraps itself up and the final projects approach, we realize that we will soon, once again, have to face the real world. We are forced to think about textbooks and new schedules, 8 a.m. classes and labs, all of which we’ve been trying so hard to put off. The spring semester is too close now to avoid dealing with.

To those of us who have had afternoon Interim classes, I believe that we face one of the harder setbacks: correcting our sleeping habits. It’s easy to get away with going to bed at 4 a.m. every night when you can sleep until noon the next day and the day following that too. Getting up for an 8 a.m. class in two weeks sounds worse than being hung by my toenails at this point. Unfortunately, I don’t have that choice.

Having had very little homework through the month of January, we’ve grown accustomed to the “all fun, no work” lifestyle. We will soon have to readapt to the balancing act of these two things. Interim for me has been a great time to do a lot of things that I’ve convinced myself to be incapable of during the regular semester such as reading for pleasure, journaling, Netflixing, heck, even sleeping. I’ve been able to focus on the things that keep me sane and, in short, make me happy.

As spring classes come closer, I’d like to encourage you, reader, as I encourage myself, to make time for the things you’ve been able to do so guiltlessly during this Interim period. Treat yourself to a little more Netflix than usual, or allow yourself to nap when you have 10 million other things you think you should be doing. It’s a balancing act, not a winner takes all. Study a little, (a lot) but also make time to do the things that bring you joy and help you make it through the days. Work hard and work often, but allow yourself a little time to relax. You deserve it.