Your friends have made a plan to do a fun Friendsgiving on Wednesday. But there’s one problem: you have practice that day and two unit tests on Thursday. What should you do? What should you prioritize?
The balance between school work, a social life and sports is one of the hardest things to manage. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome the struggle.
Tip #1: Don’t procrastinate— do your work as soon as you get home.
I know, I know, it’s easier said than done. But, if you wait until 8:00 p.m. to start doing your work and you have two tests the next day, you will only make the situation worse. So, you need to start your work as soon as you get home from school or practice. This will allow you to hopefully get your work done quicker and have more time for your other priorities, like hanging out with your friends.
Tip #2: Focus on the most important things
This sounds obvious, but can actually be very helpful when you are prioritizing what you want to do each day. For example, if you have a huge math test the next day that will decide your grade for the semester, focus mainly on that instead of all the other little assignments you have. If you have practice, you can see if you can leave early if you don’t have a game anytime soon. The same applies for a huge upcoming game, or a fun day trip with your best friends on a day off, but instead of missing practice, you could save some homework from that day for a different time if possible, or try and get it done earlier in the week.
Tip #3: Use your free period (if you have one)
It’s so easy to sit at a table with your friends and talk the whole period instead of doing work, but you will regret this later when you have four huge assignments due tomorrow, and practice that ends at 5:30. Try and go someplace where you can best maximize your focus, like the quiet zone in the library, so that you can get a start on work for that night.
Tip #4: Have fun
Grades are important, but not important enough that you should constantly miss out on hanging out with your friends, or fun team bonding activities. While college is obviously a big focus for most people, when you are looking back on your life in years to come, you will likely remember and appreciate all of the fun memories with your friends a lot more than studying, or getting an A on a random test.
Staying focused and managing time can be challenging, but if you keep these four tips in mind, the next time you are deciding if you should hang out with your friends, practice for a big game, or study for a test, you will be much more productive and organized.
