Breaking the Cycle: You Need Rest Not Late Nights

Lately, the response to “How are you doing today?” has been “tired,” “exhausted,” or “good, but a little overwhelmed.” Whether it is me answering the question or asking it, the general tone on campus has been tired and overwhelmed. 

It is crazy that when I see my friends during the week, and we have a few minutes to catch up, I find out they have pulled multiple 3 a.m. nights in one week just to finish their homework. The most crazy part about this is that this seems to be a norm because I am guilty of it, too. No wonder everyone is tired when they are running on less than five hours of sleep. 

As I thought more about this unhealthy cycle of late nights, early alarms, and dozing off in class, I started to really consider why this happens. Now, I can’t speak for everyone, but this is my take. Between classes, homework, work, extracurriculars, trying to stay healthy by working out and eating three meals a day, making sure I have some time with friends, and any other responsibility I might have for the week, my brain doesn’t even know where to begin. Inevitably, after being pulled every which way, I decide the best course of action is ignorance. So, the procrastination hits, and I can’t seem to do anything until right before the deadline. Nevertheless, there are many days when I am productive, but the sheer number of projects and meetings and the time necessary to do them well keeps me from ever being caught up enough to feel completely at ease.

We are less than two months from the end, and it makes me sad to think that the last weeks will be spent feeling pressed for time and restless. So, as I thought about the cause of the cycle, I thought a lot about ways to cope or even try and get out of it. These are just some tips I have learned throughout the years that seem to help out immensely when I can put them into practice.

Write It Down

Grab a plain old piece of paper and a pen (I like to use a colorful pen if available because it makes this step more fun) and write out your to-do list. Sure, you probably have it on your phone, and that’s fine, but try writing it out anyway. As you make your list, separate tasks with headings like “Priotity” for the items such as homework that needs to be done before 11:59 p.m., or “Quick & Easy” for the little things like starting your laundry or vacuuming your room that desperately needs to get done but you haven’t had the motivation to do. This allows you to visualize the work ahead of you and can help keep you motivated once you finish a big priority task and switch to doing something that will get you up and moving, like starting your laundry. As you start checking things off physically, the desire to keep going will inspire you to stay on track and get things done.

Listen To Yourself

Taking time to listen to your body and respond can be hard, but it can be the difference between a productive and “wasteful” day. When do you get the most work done? In the morning or night? If you listen to your body and mind over the next few days with the intention of trying to figure out when you work best, you can try adjusting your schedule to be the most productive you can be. I know that I am most productive in the morning, and when I wake up earlier than usual and start checking off the to-do list in the morning, I tend to set myself up to get more done throughout the day.

Take Breaks

It seems to me that there is a misconception that if you take a break, you are being lazy or not productive. While this can be the case if you are taking too many or too long of breaks, there is a healthy way to give yourself much-needed rest. Breaks can look like taking 10 minutes to step out of the library and walk around campus to get some fresh air before returning to finish an assignment or taking a quick trip with your friends to get coffee before going back to work. Taking breaks allows you to separate yourself from the work you have been doing for hours and helps to avoid burnout. We all know the feeling of banging our heads against a wall as we work on the same assignment for four hours when it should have taken one. This lack of efficiency can very likely be attributed to the fact that you are exhausted and just need to leave the task and come back with fresh eyes and a ready mindset to get to work. 

Go To Sleep

Before I say this, I want to preface with the fact that I am just as guilty of this as everyone else. Staying up until 3 a.m. is not something to brag about. I catch myself spewing this reality off as if it makes me look like a hard worker, and I have noticed the same in my friends. Staying up unreasonably late multiple nights in a row to “get homework done” is not something you should keep doing. Realistically, did you get as much done as you thought you would at the beginning of the night? Probably not, and it could have likely been finished in the morning. Yes, there are times when deadlines may require us to pull late nights to get something in on time; however, this should not be made a common practice. Your body and brain need sleep to be productive, and when you don’t prioritize sleep, you will be running on low energy and likely moving a lot slower than you would if you got the sleep you needed.

–

It is possible not to be tired all the time. It just requires you to put a little more effort into creating discipline and acting on what you already know. If you’re tired, get rest. If you feel like you don’t have time to rest, look at your day and figure out how to get things done so you can have the time you need to rest. 

“It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.” - Psalm 127:2

Obviously, we are not being told not to get up early and work hard but rather not to believe that we have any power to sustain this lifestyle of long hours of work without rest. Putting our trust in ourselves and our own work will only cause us to be exhausted and anxious. Relying on God as we work and in what we work for, we are allowing him to bless us with the sleep and rest we so desperately need to do the work God has called us to do tomorrow.