Ever experienced this?

Your friend just shot you a text: they are planning to go clubbing in Volksgarten this Friday. You feel tempted to join but… there’s that project you’ve been wanting to work on. Oh, and that university assignment? It’s been collecting dust in the dungeons of your to-do list. 

What do you do? 

I often hear comments like “oh, you’re young, just live a little.” Or “you can’t always be working, you need to enjoy life too!”

Lately, a couple things have changed my decision when it comes to situations like this. 

Firstly, I’ve been consuming much less alcohol this year, and if you’ve ever gone clubbing sober, you probably know that it’s quite the forgettable experience. 

Furthermore, I no longer see having a good time and partying a little as an escape, but rather a reward. It’s something I grant myself occasionally and conditionally. Did I have a productive week, did I get most of the things done that I wanted to? 

If the answer to those questions is yes, then go ahead and enjoy the weekend! If you feel like you could have done more, distracting yourself won’t magically make those things get done. 

So the next time your friends are trying to peer pressure you into going out, take a look inside your planner and inside your heart. Is your to-do list full, and you feel like going because its a distraction? Or did you get everything done, and are you using this as a reward?