The Rush of an Instant

Rush Hour. This is more than just my favorite movie, this word had a much deeper meaning this last week. There was no better way to describe this week. Everything fell on a set of a few days and between studying for my SAT, keeping up with my grades, and applying for college, I felt a rush. When I realized the intensity of the work ahead of me, it was like the hundreds of cars stuck on a jam packed highway, all the ideas in my head were angry and wanted to get out, but they couldn't as they were confined there due to unforeseen circumstances. Until now, I thought that ISM had shown me the importance of leaving the bad habits of procrastination staying on top of my workload. But little did I know that each week is just an introduction to the next, as the workload for one week will constantly try to outdo the one of the previous week. I learned that the slightest bit of negligence can cause catastrophic devastation, at least in terms of my grades.

However, ISM and its alumni have also shown me that it is these times of uncontrollable rushes of work that one needs to relax. As contradictory as this sounds, I understood it first hand this week. I went into the weekend, having pledged to my dad that my college essays would be finished, realizing that I had three tests awaiting me on Monday, and acknowledging that my SAT was a week away. Now, this is probably common for many high schoolers at this point, but I feel that our approaches were vastly different. Most people I have seen have taken a systematic approach in which they continuously work throughout the day at a slow and steady pace. I learned that that approach didn’t suit me, so instead, I read. I read a book pertaining to body language and how to interpret human emotion from the way that people carry and compose themselves. I read for hours, mesmerized by the book, all the way until saturday night. Then I started.

Through the intense workload of ISM in coordination with all the other troubles of a high school student, I noticed that I have an explosive nature when it comes to working. All though I don’t work consistently throughout the given time, by clearing my mind, my ideas not just flow out of my head but erupt. I realized that in a stressed out situation with a time crunch, I work far more productively and efficiently. I understand however, that a sole reliance on this could be my downfall, and that I must deviate from this habit slightly as the rigor of my daily work increases. I hope that in the weeks to come, I can strike a balance between rush and calmness, and then I’ll be able to flourish completely.