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School/college has started nearly everywhere, so I thought this would be a good time to diverge from my medical analogy articles and talk about the main overachiever habits that resurface with the start of school. I’ve already felt the impact, so I know my fellow overachievers have as well.
Let’s cover three common school habits that overachievers tend to ignore and brush off as harmless.
Part 3: Mistake 3 - Measuring Worth by How Busy You Are
Measuring your worth by the fact that you’re working all day – or by the fact that you’re not – is a very easy trap to fall into. This is likely because we know that successful people are typically busy or because we see too many examples of high-achievers with packed schedules. Consequently, we begin to believe that adding more and more activities and classes to our plate gives the illusion that we’re more impressive.
The issue with this habit is that it leads to prioritizing quantity over quality when it should be the other way around. Having an overwhelming amount of responsibilities means not optimizing our efforts and not yielding the best outcomes. Contrastly, having a reasonable amount of responsibilities means dedicating meaningful time to each while also allowing time for reflection and gleaning lessons that not only inform you in the future but also blossom into new opportunities.
What do you really gain from the former option—being too busy—other than appearing accomplished to others?
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Through a student anecdote, we can see the harm of this habit in action:
Between AP classes, debate, robotics, volunteering, and tutoring, Jason’s calendar looked full enough to impress a college admissions officer, which was exactly the point.
Every time someone asked “How are you?” Jason answered with a tired smile: “Busy.” It felt good to him, like proof he was doing something right.
But one Wednesday night, sitting at his desk surrounded by half-finished homework and club meeting notes, he realized he couldn’t point to a single thing he’d actually finished that week. He’d been in motion for days without actually going anywhere.
Now, let's see the impact of the solution—cutting unnecessary activities and committing to the important ones you truly care about:
The next day, he removed one commitment and used the hour to focus on a single big project. For the first time all month, he felt the calm satisfaction of doing one task deeply instead of twenty things halfway.
And guess what? His grades improved, too.
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