Studying and Energy Use SBC

I’m a good person, but I’m not a good student. I don’t study.

After a long day running between classes, meetings, and my off-campus internship, I’m beat! All I want to do when I am done with scheduled activities for the day is go house on Monroe Street, spend a few hours on the internet, talk to friends on the phone, and then go to bed. I don’t study. I’m physically and mentally exhausted, and by the end of the day when I could be working on schoolwork, I am not in a place where I can do good work or study unfamiliar materials. I put myself in a mental space where I can work only on the ‘easy’ things like revising meeting agendas, catching up on email, and causal reading. On top of that, I put myself in a physical space where I am able to easily distract myself by playing music, going to the kitchen for snacks, or replying to text messages.

When I am at home, I use energy all over the house. I’m running the heating unit, turning on lights in my living room and kitchen. I use energy as if the energy I use at the house could help me recharge my own mental batteries. All the while, my housemates are, assuringly, out studying and doing homework, which is necessary to succeed at this institution.

I think it’s time that I take a page out of these scholars’ books. I need to take steps to recharge my batteries during the day and I need to have studying be a part of my daily schedule. To conserve energy, I need to be studying on-campus, where energy is going to be used regardless of my presence. If I study in a library or classroom-like setting, I’ll be in a physical location that is more conducive towards productive studying. Additionally, I’ll be reducing many evenings worth of residential energy use.

Andrew Goldberg