Marlin Xie

Are we overscheduled? Short answer: Yes. Capital Y. Somewhere between another planned meal and sprinting to my third class of the day, I started thinking about when rest started to feel like something we had to earn. When scheduling became something to master, spontaneity started to feel distant and discouraged.

My typical weekday is one double booking away from me moving into the woods to hang out with the moose. Once you’re in this routine of overscheduling, you start to feel its rhythm. You wake up and do the same thing you did yesterday. Gym, meal, class, meal again, study—this loop of productivity is force-fed to us. Still, questioning these societal rhythms is something I keep coming back to.

Within all of this mainstream American hustle and bustle, our brains are being filled with subtle messages. Be the best. Work the angles. And over time, we start to believe them. We think we are not smart enough, not capable enough, not rich enough, not lovable and not worthy. Or, if we do well, we are rewarded. Getting the job means we are smart. Falling in love means we are lovable. Sometimes, I feel like the most rebellious act we can do is to do nothing. When was the last time you were bored? I mean, actually bored (no room for performative boredom here). No phone. No music. No chore or task to get done. Not the kind of boredom you feel in a tedious lecture, but the kind that probably reminds you of childhood.

In all of its irony, I encourage you to schedule time to avoid overscheduling. To let go of what you think you need to do and put things into perspective. Is there anything more human and loving than allowing ourselves to take a beat? Why are we, college students in our 20s, acting like we have to climb this fictional mountain of “success,” which only keeps getting bigger?

Someone once told me that the six luxuries in life are time, health, a quiet mind, slow mornings, meaningful work and a house full of love. If we have them, why do we constantly think we need more? Who made us believe that that wasn’t enough?

I have grown up curious about my European and Scandinavian roots and, with that, a different way of living. When I go to see family, I notice the idyllic French lifestyle: people sitting at the local boulangerie with loved ones, chatting the day away without a phone or any sign of work in sight. Just sitting. Just talking. And in Finland, school consists of less class time, more breaks and better academic outcomes. And guess what? Finland has been voted the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year! Imagine that: a fully publicly funded education system, including higher education, paired with the highest levels of national wellbeing.

As much as I love Bowdoin, institutions like this, ones that quietly push you onto this track of “success,” are part of the problem. I cannot ignore the burnout and mental health struggles that come from overscheduling and the feeling of not being or doing enough. So, maybe we should try something different. Let’s be a little more Finnish. As my grandmother would say, have strong “sisu”: a kind of strong resilience, a strong backbone. I wonder how much American identity would change if we all would allow boredom back into our lives.

So, Sunday morning, I’m heading to Dog Bar Jim. I’m sitting down and getting bored. I hope to see you there!