Burnt, the past form of the verb, modifies the noun as being burnt, overly toasted. It serves as an adjective in the given example, and is termed an adjectival participle.

Similarly, nāvigātus is an adjectival participle construction used for modifying masculine nouns. Additionally, it defines the event of sailing/navigating as complete (thus perfect) and is passive, because the noun was the direct object (it underwent the action, the ship was sailed).

Giving that bit of oceanic history, you can see that navigation has a broader meaning in English. It can be ‘the process of working through a (usually difficult) situation’. Whereas the Latin verb nāvigō was a nautical term. For a university student, day-to-day life needs navigation. What does it look like? Well, sometimes asking questions is the best way to getting answers. I conducted interviews with three students, two from the University College Roosevelt and one from the University of Amsterdam (UvA).

Let’s look through the spyglass and watch how they navigate their currents.

Question 1: If you pooled time in your hands, what makes it slip through for you?

This question was the first interviewees answered. It was intended as a warm up question, and deliberately kept open to interpretation: answers provided were related to what people spent extra time on accidentally, or what activities they did which had a perceived ‘slipping away of time’. [F], the UvA student, talked about experiencing a break after finishing the Bachelor’s courses she needed to transfer to the MA programme for Linguistics. She named two long stretches of time: the Busy and the Rest phase.

“Actually, I’m in the status that I pooled time in my palms now. So, I chose to try to learn new languages and read some interesting papers in my interested field. But actually … it’s a little bit hard to do that directly after your “Busy phase” – so I spent a lot of time sleeping and resting this week. But I try to spend at least two hours before my computer, learning new things.”

[M] and [J] mentioned spending time on consuming media, such as video essays or Shorts from YouTube, the online video sharing platform. [M] further mentioned spending time on her hobbies and interests.

“I have been trying to pull ideas for things that I want to make, like art, and I’ve been making templates recently. So that’s what time has been going to, mostly. But if I had infinite time, I think I would want to pursue clay-modelling or just working to make pottery – working with clay.”

Question 2: Describe your flow state, in colours and shapes. What’s the theme, what do the lines look like? Are there lines?

[F] described the visual experience she had during flow state, focusing on the spaces she’d studied most frequently in, in the current semester.

 “The flow state – like when you’re really concentrating or focusing on something. I’d say the colour would be … blue … Google Docs blue! That’s definitely the first thing that comes in my mind. Follow up question: Interesting, do you always work with Google Docs? Yeah, at least this semester. And I would say the yellow of the PCH library. That’s a really practical answer though. Hmm … so, what’s the theme, what the lines look like … it gives me the impression of the … shape of a circle. Because a circle feels, like, really comfortable – in the circle the core is yourself, and if you are more connected with others (in flow state of work) the circle is big, but if you’re alone, the circle is narrow.

[M], on the other hand, described the scenery of her flow state through  an image of what focus feels like: “I feel like if it’s raining, if I have the sound of rain, concentration is easier. I like grey days. Grey is a ‘flow state’ colour for me. Also, maybe blue sky – no, no, it’s like the sky can be blue, but with a muted grey tone. The buildings have to be grey.”

“ … in colours and shapes. I feel like for shapes, my flow state would be in swirls. Because I really love swirls; I use them a lot in my paintings.”

Interestingly, [J] related flow state to both colour and sound: “Maybe blue, since it’s a relaxing colour. Red is a very stopping colour, and green is related to nature and that’s not what I’m experiencing – so I’d say blue. But from an auditory perspective, I’d say house music. Because it tends to be relaxing but has also has a beat to it. That’s what I link flow state to: I’m not experiencing adrenaline, but I’m not relaxed either.”

Question 3: Where’s your productivity space?

[F] elaborated further on time spent in the library in contrast to time spent studying at home. Notably, she mentioned how libraries or official study areas tended to feel more like productivity spaces  than studying before a desk in your home.

Focusing on the sensory experience, [M] and [J] mentioned how ‘no sound’ or having headphones was a prerequisite for concentrating. [M] went on to elaborate the idea of ‘perceived silence’: “It can be quiet, or I can listen to lofi hip-hop beats – one in particular, that I repeat often and can just tune out. But there’s still the feeling of perceiving silence.”

On the other hand, [J] mentioned how being alone can often be important for studying: “I feel like my room tends to be the best, it’s also the place where I tend to reach my flow state … mostly. Because if I’m outside, such as in a university building, I tend to get distracted because I can go talk to people. And I can’t focus as good in the library either. But in my room, just with my headphones on, I can work. So, I need to be by myself and have no sound.”

Moreover, all three interviewees mentioned about the specific hours in the day when they could reach flow state. [F] and [M] mentioned the late hours in the night while [J] highlighted early mornings or afternoons as being the best hours for concentrating.

All in all, these answers shine a light on how the individual experience of navigating through life is distinct for each person. Though there were only a few participants, it is of note how sensory experiences, even without prompting, tend to play an influential role on where a productivity space is, or is not, situated. What works for one student may not work for another, especially because our sensory perception of the world varies greatly. The experience a library offers to one, can be available to another in their room. The perception of silence (or the absence of distractions) can work instead of true, stone-cold silence. Smooth sailing will vary, it will vary for each and everyone of us. It’s about the canvas, the rudder, the rig, or perhaps – it’s going to be a dive under water. The coolness, the moving world and the promise of where you want to be.

So, what does navigating your ocean feel like?