Americans are moving toward 24-hour communities. Just in the vicinity of Guilford College, there are multiple 24-hour diners, a 24-hour grocery store, and a Super Wal-Mart – open 24 hours a day, of course.
In comparison, stores in Germany close at 6:30 p.m., except on Thursdays when they are open “late” – until 8:30 or 9:00 p.m. In addition, stores close at noon on Saturdays for the entire weekend, and on weekdays workers and students receive an hour and a half to go home for lunch and take a nap.
Last week Guilford College celebrated “Take Back Your Time Week.” Activities culminated with the National Take Back Your Time Day on Oct 24. The date was selected because it falls nine weeks before the end of the calendar year and represents the average nine work weeks – or 360 work hours – that Americans work more than other industrialized nations.
Why are we so much busier than the rest of the industrialized world?
“[Americans] have bought into the culture of consumption, consumerism, and materialism,” said Max Carter, campus organizer of Take Back Your Time activities.
Guilford celebrated Take Back Your Time Week with a few activities designed to help students relax and make their time their own again. There were showings of “Escape from Affluenza,” which proposes solutions to the problems of stress, waste, over-consumption, and environmental decay.
Multiple panels were held on subjects like time poverty and time management. Students also had the opportunity to take a historical tour of the Guilford woods or participate in a Taize meditation/spirituality service.
Kim Sellick, Guilford’s Alternative Learning Specialist, led Thursday’s panel on time management. “Americans -and college students – have lots of choices about how to spend their time,” she said. “But you have to discriminate because there are so many choices. If you spread yourself too thin, you’re letting down everyone.”
This is a problem too many Guilford students face all too often.
“I’m on top of things, but sometimes just barely,” says Laura Myerchin, a junior who will graduate this spring. She is applying for grad. school and several fellowships, and serves as Senate Secretary. She co-chairs SLFA and works for both the Caf and the Women’s Studies program.
“I just spent 36 hours in three days last week making centerpieces for Oktoberfest,” said Elana Levy, a junior with enough credits to be a senior. She is a triple major taking four 400 level classes, in addition to TA’ing. She serves as the treasurer of the German Club and helped organize Oktoberfest.
“Now I’m catching up on all the work I neglected to get done,” Levy said. “I get everything done … because I can sacrifice sleep.”
Rarely do we “Take Back our Time,” but when we do, the results are great.
“I came to work late today, after cleaning my house and doing laundry,” said Anne Lundquist, Dean of Campus Life. She is also an English professor, poet, mother of two, and a devoted fan of the University of Michigan football team.
“I feel so much better because I stopped and took time for myself,” Lundquist said. “The reflective time means I’ll be able to do my job better.