Once again, none of this means throwing out your spreadsheet. It just means building a better one that accounts for the fact that you will change, your priorities will shift and the version of you that is making decisions at 20 is working with incomplete data. In STEM, we call that updating your hypothesis when new evidence comes in.

Having the freedom to do nothing for seven days is a luxury. Being able to live in peace for a week is a privilege that we shouldn't forget to acknowledge. With our hectic lives in college, we should allow ourselves grace with a chance to just catch our breath. And at the end of the week, when the question, "What did you do during spring break?" comes around, it's perfectly fine to shrug and say, "Nothing much."

Don’t rush, but plan and execute your goals. Do not expect yourselves to move mountains at this very instant, but begin implementing small, consistent habits that allow you to enjoy being up in the clouds while also having quality earth time. Purpose is found in not bombarding yourself with whatever you think will get you somewhere, but in making intentional decisions and fostering a backbone over time that you can fall back on even when you face failure.

Sometimes I have to act like a cog in a machine so my GPA doesn’t go down, but it’s important not to get stuck in those soul-sucking routines. Okay, a couple of days per week you have to “lock in,” but balance that with moments where you can back off and enjoy being a human.

Four years ago, as a high school student, I was looking for a way to track my goals and runs without the expense of buying a watch. After trying out a myriad of different applications on my iPhone, the one that stuck with me was the Nike Run Club App.