Picture this: you’re sitting at your desk (which also doubles as your makeup vanity), bumping Taylor Swift and bravely attempting winged eyeliner. You bop your head and sing along to the music, taking a sip of your *spicy* Bcaf lemonade. You know that this will be the only thing keeping you warm tonight as you contemplate which tiny top to steal from your roommate’s closet. You’ve mentally prepared yourself to make the long trek down to Frat Row.
It’s Thursday night.
Weekends in high school were a fun reward after a tough and stressful week of school. On Friday and Saturday nights we’d go out with friends, stay up late and get up to all kinds of things we weren’t supposed to. But in college, it seems to be the reverse: we now spend the weekends hunkered down in the library, catching up on the work we neglected during our weeknight shenanigans.
Date parties, raids, fundragers and concerts (just to name a few) all seem to be scheduled in the middle of the week. And I know we’ve all been heavily conditioned to believe that Thursdays are a part of the weekend — but seriously, whose idea even was that?
As someone who thrives in the routine of her early mornings, staying up until 3 AM most Thursday nights is something I’ve struggled to adapt to.
Don’t get me wrong, I love all the parties I get to go to on Tuesday and Thursday nights; I wouldn’t trade those memories for anything. I get to dress up, go out, dance and have fun with all my best friends. But just because my social life might start on Thursday, doesn’t mean my 8 AM shift on Friday doesn’t exist anymore. This makes it hard to prioritize getting enough sleep, regular sleep and good sleep.
Most weeks, by the time Friday night rolls around, I find myself mentally drained, physically exhausted and wanting nothing more than to crash at 9 PM. There seems to be no time to catch up on sleep or work on weeknights, nor to establish a normal schedule. My old routine of waking up, attending class, going to tennis practice, eating dinner, doing homework, sleeping and repeating has been shattered these past two years. With 7-9 PM labs, Tuesday night date parties and Sunday Chemistry finals, I’m still figuring out how to piece together a new pattern.
Something that helps me feel more balanced with the craziness of my weeknights is dedicating the hours during the day to being productive. From when I leave my dorm in the morning to when I come home after dinner, I focus on getting my schoolwork done. Now, this isn’t to say that I don’t have to squeeze in an extra lecture between dinner and a pregame sometimes, but it’s nice to generally reserve my nights for the fun stuff. This way, even if my weekdays and weekends blur together, I can at least have structure within the days themselves.
If you’re not a Tuesday or Thursday night girlie, that’s perfectly okay, too. Finding the right balance of work-hard-play-hard is one of the most valuable life skills to cultivate. Whether that means sticking to the conventional two-day weekend, or sleeping through it to recover from your weeknights, find what works for you.