One of my favorite short stories that I have read is The Bet, written by the famous Russian author Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. It details the voluntary incarceration of a young lawyer in a single room for fifteen years, the result of a bet between the lawyer and a wealthy banker over whether the death penalty is better or worse than life in prison. It is a fine piece of literature from an amazing author, but whenever I read it, I always wonder how the young lawyer manages to voluntarily lock himself away for such a long time. It is not until recently that I finally understood how the lawyer is able to do it without going insane – he stays busy.
Even during these unusual times, I have somehow managed to stay considerably busy, almost overly busy. In more normal times, I probably would have disliked this, but right now, I am quite glad this is the case. After the initial hiccups while adapting to distance learning, many of my professors have managed to construct substantial curriculums that can be followed regardless of if the classes are in-person or online.
Along with improved curriculums, many classes now also boast more rigorous and useful homework assignments that help give me the feeling that I am still learning something (and getting some of my money’s worth) during these times. Besides assignments, we are also continuing to work on our semester project, a documentary film on a local beer brewery, while also developing another project specifically focusing on the impact coronavirus has had on the local community.
Outside of my school responsibilities, I also have my own habits and projects that I fill much of my spare time with. Exercising for an hour three times a week, studying Czech one hour every day, and writing a script for a personal project manages to fill out most of the rest of my days.
Keeping busy and being productive is not only a healthy thing to do during these times, but also makes good use of the time you have available. Doing something, no matter how minuscule it may appear, demonstrates that you have at least some control over yourself and the situation you are in. So stop reading this dumb blog post, and get busy!