Today at Urban, it’s not uncommon to see a student rushing from a B period class to a lunchtime club, back to class, then straight to an after school sport, without finishing the C period homework that was due yesterday. Overcommitting and being unable to effectively manage each activity is not beneficial to anyone.

   Yet, it seems that Urban students are neglecting the impact of overcommitment. Being a student at a competitive high school where grades and college applications are constantly on our minds, it is easy for us to sign up for whatever comes our way, inadvertently overcommitting ourselves. Though we, the Urban Legend staff, cannot prescribe a maximum number of activities one should partake in, we are inviting Urban students be more intentional about what we sign up for.

   While it may not be immediately obvious, engaging in an activity, such as a club, team or committee and subsequently abandoning it is detrimental not only to the individual, but also to the group. How fulfilling is it to be in an organization when a significant portion of it doesn’t actively participate, or even seem interested in being there? In signing up for an activity, we are expected to be consistently physically and mentally present to help uphold the overall spirit, energy and productivity of the group. Isn’t this what we are committing to by signing up? We, as Urban students need to commit to being more committed.

   Each person’s capacity to balance responsibilities is different, and so intentional commitment can look different for everyone. But we should not feel guilty about having some free time. Most people need a break, and we should not feel bad about having a few hours to ourselves. Urban students need to do a better job of involving ourselves only in what we genuinely want to participate in, and can genuinely handle, so that we can fully commit to those activities.

   Even the Urban Legend staff members struggle with staying on top of all of our stories and assignments. Though we were all familiar with the expected commitment level before applying, we still have trouble meeting deadlines because every single staff member is involved in various other activities outside of being a part of the Urban Legend.

   As Urban students, we are busy. But, there are only so many activities in which we can fully participate. To better honor our commitments we should be more thoughtful when signing up for activities, allowing conscientious and consistently active participation in each one.