Ben,
Welcome. I feel that rigorous academics is an interesting topic for personal development. It's good in some ways, but the pressure can become to intense. Should we learn time-management techniques to overcome those pressures and live in comfortable congruence with a high-demand lifestyle? Or should we bail out and live an austere, fulfilling life as a monk?
Ok, those are two extremes, but this is a decision I'm struggling with currently. I'm an undergraduate at a fairly rigorous university, and I'm often torn between two philosophies: (1) be a highly effective, productive, proactive accomplisher and make the most out of academic life; and (2) live in the present and focus your energy on being happy, even if that does mean falling behind in work.
Philosophy (1) will make your life active and interesting, but it's a constant struggle to try and change time-management habits. Philosophy (2) is about focusing on improving your emotional state, never letting grades or expectations of success get in the way.
On paper it's easy to say the solution is to find a way to make (1) and (2) congruent (I'm certain it's possible), but I think making (1) and (2) congruent is more difficult than improving (1) or (2) exclusively.
I hope I didn't diverge too much.
