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Wasting Time in Business School

One thing we’ve all come to find in business school is that most of us are a lot busier than we ever expected. We spend more time looking for jobs. More time writing cover letters. And more time working on our assignments, even though in many cases we don’t have to. Given that, the question that comes to mind then is, how much does it matter if we decide to waste a little bit of time? And is it possible that wasting time might actually be good for us?

On one side of the argument is “Absolutely not.” Things here are busy and opportunities are abound. Wasting time means not pursuing as many things. Not meeting as many people. Not taking advantage of everything the school has to offer.

On the other side of the argument is that wasting time is critical. It allows you to recover when you’re tired. To get away from the chaos and reflect on life. And experience joy in the midst of the ups and downs of business school.

The arguments on both sides are good. In fact, so good that it’s hard for many people to actually take a stand.  Personally, I don’t like to waste much time. I fill as much of my day in as possible. Back to back meetings. Emailing more and more people. Writing blogs posts in advance.  And going to as many events as possible.

But even though I’m like to do that, every now and then, I get a little less productive and I come to realize that I’d be much better off doing nothing for a few hours. In essence, wasting a bit of time. That said, perhaps more important than deciding “whether” to waste time, then is to decide “how” to waste time.

Wasting time ineffectively is useless. Because not only are you missing out on the opportunities to study, meet more people, network with more employers and accomplish more things by working harder, but you’re also missing out on downtime. The time that you need to recover and reflect on things in your life. Likewise, you also miss out on the happiness that you feel by wasting time and indulging in those activities that make you happiest of all. In the end, you miss out on both sides.

In sum, If you’re going to waste time in business school, waste it effectively.

Right now, I’m wasting time by watching college football on the couch with my awesome roommate Greg Sherman. What about you? How are you wasting time?