Uh oh.

It’s the middle of the term, and I’ve got a stack of work like nothing I’ve ever seen before. My work is like a mountain, and it’s about to erupt.

I’ve organized it all into a nice tidy checklist, knowing that each item is a task that will take hours. What’s worse, I’ve seriously overbooked myself this term, knowing that some of these items just aren’t going to get done, or else they’re going to get done really badly. My checklist feels like a game of chess, where I might have to strategically sacrifice my knight for the greater good.

I whittle away at it. Weeks go by, and finally, most of it happens. The most comforting thing during my “hell weeks” is simply hearing the complaints of others. Like I am not in this alone. So what have I learned, if anything?

Unfortunately, I am one of those people for whom basic life lessons must come through hard and vicious experience, despite all the warnings anyone has given me. The basic adage is “don’t over-do it,” but I think I have learned a twist to that piece of advice: Over-do it. But learn about your limitations afterwards.