How often do you feel like a juggler trying to keep track of twenty balls at once? If you are like the majority of college students out there, then chances are, quite often. Whether it is too many extracurricular activities, too much partying, too many part-time jobs, or too much of everything, overscheduling is a scourge of most students – and not just students. Being busy is perceived as a virtue in everyone – from children (as described in an article by WebMD) to CEOs of multinational corporations. Yet being busy isn’t synonymous with being productive and even less so to being happy. Overloading your schedule may just be eating you alive, especially in college – and here is why.

College is all about pursuing opportunities. New acquaintances, new activities, new skills – all this awaits your attention. Yet filling up every single minute of your life with plans, activities, extra courses and jobs means that you won’t have either time or energy if a really fascinating opportunity falls into your lap. You will be either too exhausted to take advantage of it or too busy trying to catch up to your schedule to even notice it.

Contrary to popular belief, there can be too much of a good thing. Take the activity you love more than anything else in the world, your favorite hobby, the most enjoyable pastime, and try doing it non-stop for a few weeks. If by the end of this period you aren’t sick at the sight of anything reminding you of it, you are an exception rather than a rule.

You can burn out even doing things you love. If it is compounded by filling every waking hour with some kind of useful activity, this is bound to happen sooner rather than later.

It is not a question of “if” but of “when”. If you keep busy all the time, you will find yourself lagging behind your schedule, as things always take more time than they are expected to. If you start lagging behind, you will start being stressed out because of all the unmet demands and unfulfilled requirements. And stress will lead to burnout and a nervous breakdown, rendering you incapable of doing even the most basic activities for quite a while. Maintaining a more healthy balance between work and free time can get more done in the long run.

Although we don’t subscribe to the school of thought that associates college with nothing but lots of booze and partying, all work and no play does make Jack a dull boy. No matter how ambitious you are, if you never take a break from constant appointments and activities, you get no opportunity to enjoy life. If you don’t enjoy life, then what is all this work for?

Some of the best, most important and sometimes even the most productive moments in our lives come unplanned. If your schedule is watertight, you will have to eliminate all spontaneity from your life. Every unexpected invitation and opportunity will have to be refused. As a result, you may never meet many wonderful people, discover fascinating pastimes and learn new things.

Overloading one’s schedule often comes from trying to do too many things at ones. Or, sometimes, doing every single thing available to you: pursuing a number of sports, hobbies, extracurricular activities and so on. As a result, you may find yourself spread too thin: doing everything at once but not getting deep into anything. At the end of the day, it means that you’ve done a little bit of everything that accounts for a whole lot of nothing.

There are many reasons to battle overscheduling and getting your life back on track. Cut on less important and enjoyable activities to get more time to enjoy and specialize in what you really love. Delegate a couple of more obnoxious written assignments to a trustworthy writing company. Add a few hours of free time to your schedule to deal with as you see fit. Don’t worry about missing out – it is a part of life.