Figuring Out the Free Hours
Entering the workforce recently has made me realize that I don’t really know who I am outside of being a student. Right now, and every night after work, I sit in my room without any homework to do wondering what I want to fill my free time with. For the first time in my life, no one is telling me what comes next. There’s no syllabus, no deadlines, no built‑in milestones.
I took a gap year between undergrad and law school due to COVID, but have (almost) consistently been a student for my entire life. Even during my gap year, I was focused on applying for and getting into law school, so my life still was very centered around school. My gap year was just a hallway that led to the next classroom.
I’ve spent years dreaming of the day my time would finally belong to me. During my last semester of law school I would always imagine how much lighter life was going to feel getting home at the end of the workday and getting to do whatever I wanted with my night. At the time the thought felt so freeing!
I guess I COULD bring work home with me…but why would I want that? I’ve already been establishing myself as a person with strict work hours, and I like it that way. I refuse to let work become the new school.
But now that it has finally happened, I’m realizing I have no idea what to do with this newfound free time…it definitely isn’t more work though hah!