The long-awaited break is over, and it’s back to reality for Gannon University students, faculty and staff.

While we all no doubt needed those six weeks to recoup from the stresses of the Fall semester, many of us knew it was time to come back.

We at The Knight, at least, are happy to be here doing what we do best.

Just coming back to the harsh realities – and harsh weather – of downtown Erie isn’t always enough to keep us motivated, though, however unfortunate the fact may be.

In order to do well, we have to work hard. And nothing is worse than the first couple of weeks back in action.

We’re all excited to see the friends we had been used to seeing every day before the hiatus.

We’re scheduling play dates and club meetings, and making a solid effort to be better students altogether, all in the cramped first couple of weeks back.

It happens at the beginning of every semester.

But what we should try to avoid – although we may be a little late in saying this – is getting too immersed too quick.

If there’s anything we’ve learned through our work with the newspaper, it’s that you have to learn to budget your time. The lesson counts, unfortunately, for everything you do.

You have to work really hard to get the grades you want, and that applies far beyond Gannon and college in general. In order to make your time count, you have to make your work count.

So we at The Knight are stressing this beginning-of-semester technique: Work hard, but not too hard, and make sure you leave some room for fun, too.

If you overwork in the first few weeks, you’re setting yourself up to burn out by midterm. But if you don’t work at all, it’ll become a habit.

Find your happy middle and thrive through the semester.