Feel guilty about enjoying yourself?

Maybe this is a somewhat weird title, but it fully captures what I want to discuss.

Whilst I was a student, I could easily divide my time into two:

1) "I'm spending a lot of time doing research, writing essays or just generally doing something worthwhile for the academic component of my degree"

2) "I'm meant to be doing something to further develop and aid the academic component of my degree"

I'm sure those of you who have been to university or in a similar environment studying for a qualification know what I'm referring to. It's the thought, that every spare minute and moment you have needs to be dedicated to this qualification. Otherwise, one procrastinates and feels 'guilty' about having had a few moments of fun.

I believe this kind of thinking is probably wrong and most likely harmful, if this is practised over a significant period of time.

In the weeks leading up to the final exams, I enjoyed getting up early and getting to the library before other people did. Not only would I get my favourite seat, but I would also get a kick out of starting my studies at a time, when most other students were still sleeping. However, it struck me that often I wasn't the first one there and I would find people sleeping at their desks, probably because they had been there all night. Unbelievable!
I never understood how some people do not even leave the library to go home to sleep.

To me, the work life balance has to be right. I can get myself into a zone where I can study/work some pretty solid hours for a few days in a row. But then I need a break.
Conversely I can also only do fun and games for so long, before I yearn for some intellectual challenges (not counting that sometimes fun and games can be intellectually challenging too :).

After work, most of the time I feel like I need to do something useful..  to develop myself. Not all the time, but often enough. Other times I just want to relax and watch a good movie or do something fun with friends. For me THAT is a good work life balance.

Now, what if the work you are doing is actually not fulfilling? You actually don't think you can justify the time you spend on it (be it your job, uni degree, qualification etc). What actually makes your work fulfilling? I'll explore this premise in the next post.

P.S.: Just wanted to make sure you know that what I'm writing here is what I believe. This is my own personal opinion which stems from my personal experiences. You may agree or disagree. And please post your comments if you do or don't. Discussion is encouraged :)