"We find time and we find money for the things we value," Michael Pollan told a packed Salomon 101 last week.
The bestselling author of "The Omnivore's Dilemma," Pollan was talking about food, generally, and cooking good food, specifically. His argument was that Americans are suffering from a gross undervaluation of food's role in our lives. Our focus on nutrition has undermined other, culturally significant reasons for eating - from enjoying food to bonding over it. The quality of what we eat is suffering, as is our health, happiness and general welfare as a society.
I couldn't agree more. In fact, I would extend the argument even further.
Brown students could use his advice more than most. Ask any Brown student how they are, and more often than not, the answer will be either "tired" or "busy." Sometimes both. If you don't believe me, just ask one.
We're tired because we undervalue sleep. Stop by the Friedman Study Center at 3 a.m. and you'll see evidence sound asleep in the armchairs and staring blankly at the computers with carry-on sized bags under their eyes. Pulling an all-nighter to finish a paper or studying until you pass out on your books isn't just bad time management - it's a clear statement of values. Grades over sleep.
We have more complex, more individual reasons why we're always busy. But the bottom line is an undervaluation of so-called "free time" - time spent with friends, time spent eating a pleasant meal, time spent doing things we enjoy. Time spent, basically, doing things we can't put on our resume. Too often, we see these things as optional, as indulgences, even as a waste of time.
Brown students are a competitive, overachieving bunch - we wouldn't be here otherwise - and it follows that the things we value are frequently those that make us feel accomplished. We value achievements that show up on our transcript or our resume. Things that say, "this person has spent their time doing something important." Many of us feel irresponsible if we don't pack every minute of every day with productive activities. Forget about breakfast and lunch - a granola bar during class and another before going to a practice or a club meeting will have to do.
Pollan's point and the one I'm trying to make, is that even if that granola bar has 250 percent of all your daily vitamins and minerals, you're still suffering. There's more to food than nutrients - and there's more to life than winning.
I come home to my little third-floor apartment every night and cook dinner with one of my roommates. Usually we spend 10 or 20 minutes cooking - on occasion we'll spend an hour or more making something special. We eat at the kitchen table and talk or read the paper. Rare is the night when either of us brings homework or a computer to the table. This is dinner time, time to ignore the million things we both have to do. Then, after the dishes are washed and the leftovers are in the fridge, it's time to get back to work. (Usually. Sometimes we bake cookies.)
I know most Brown students don't have a stove to cook on or even a kitchen table to eat at. My point isn't that everyone should whip up a four-course dinner every night, then put on an apron and bake a souffle. You should find your own hour of the day - just one out of 24 - where you can do something other than work, and not feel guilty about it. Take some time to think about what you're undervaluing - what would make your life better? Maybe you have a friend you don't get to see enough who wants to sit and talk over coffee. Maybe you've been dying to get off the hill and go window-shopping at the mall. Maybe you just want to curl up in bed with a book that's not on any syllabus.
In all likelihood, you'll find that taking even a short break from what you "should" be doing will translate into better productivity when you do eventually get around to it. Rather than forcing yourself to stay at your computer and then wondering how you wound up spending the last 40 minutes on Facebook, you'll resent your work less and get it done faster. You might even realize it doesn't matter as much as you thought it did.
If you're reading this and wishing you had time to follow Michael Pollan's advice, you need to rethink your values. Every single person on this earth has the same amount of time in his or her day. That includes you. So if you think you're too busy to sit down to dinner, find out why. What are you spending your 24 hours doing? Is it something that makes you happy, or is it something you think you "need" to do?
Humans need to sleep and eat. Once in a while we need to move about a bit. Other than that, what you do with your time is up to you. Make the most of it.
Chloe Lutts '08 gets cookie dough on her face when she falls asleep over her work.
