Noah Mintz and other students face the struggle of having to balance their academics and extracurriculars. photo by Ella Stephens
Helpful tips on how to balance school with extracurricular activities.
Many of students struggle with balancing academics and extracurriculars. As childhood icon Hannah Montana put it, “Livin’ two lives is a little weird.” When it comes to managing both school and other activities, “a little weird,” is a bit of an understatement. I mean, have you ever sat at your desk at 9:00 p.m., head buried in your arms, just wondering how you are ever going to manage the endless homework teachers pile onto you, not to mention the commitment of your extracurricular activities? Well I have, and I am here to tell you the secret to living the “best of both worlds.”
Speaking from experience, it is hard doing homework after an hour and a half of soccer practice. How do you deal with so much in so little time? Junior Faith Toner is one of the sad souls who has an extremely busy schedule. “I dance four days a week, I swim five days a week, and on average, I would say I have at least two and a half to four hours of homework each day,” expressed Toner. She usually copes with the amount of work she has to do by taking advantage of the time she has in class, like after a test, or tries to “squeeze in anything [she] can at any point in time” in order to get her work done. She strives to live the Hannah Montana lifestyle, but it is hard with the small amount of time she has to to do everything. The way Toner has to handle doing the things she loves, while also trying to keep her grades up, makes life very stressful for her. Sure, there are office hours to do homework before your activity, and sometimes you have a couple of hours beforehand to do some work, but for most students that is where the procrastination kicks in and you end up watching Netflix as your time slips away. I usually do not start homework until after practice, when I have a short period of time in which I also have to squeeze in dinner and a shower. By that time, it is 9:30 p.m., and panic mode kicks in.
Usually I deal with my stress by screaming ‘I give up’ and flopping onto my bed. Recently, though, I found an effective method of time management that still allows me to come home from school, watch Friends, go to soccer practice, come home, eat, shower, and finish my homework within a reasonable hour. I know what you might be thinking: “How in the world are you going to fit the amount of homework Juniors get into your daily life?” Well, I am here to tell you that it is more than possible with a little hard work and determination.
First, estimate how much homework you have. This requires writing down your assignments in a planner. I know this seems like an impossible task, but I think you can manage. Look at the homework you have and come up with a rough estimate as to how much time it is going to take. Then, check the due dates: your highest priority should always be the assignments that are due the soonest. After doing this, break the homework up into parts. It is best to try to do about half of the work when you get home. This gives you time to get a head start on your homework, while also saving time for Netflix. Usually, if youb, then you should be fine to finish your homework at a reasonable hour.
One of TJ’s counselors, Jeremy Anderson, explained, “Trying to find a healthy balance for yourself is really important. Taking advantage of some of the school structured study sessions like office hours or tutoring opportunities is really important. Erin Thompson has a study hall for athletes, so the session is fit for those with two or more lifestyles.” It is also a smart idea to plan an off period or become a student assist so you can get some homework done before you get home. Ultimately, the most important thing is to not procrastinate. I know that no matter how many times you are told not to wait until the last minute, you will anyway, but that is ultimately your choice to make. If you want to continue doing the things you love while also keeping your grades up, time management is crucial. Whether it is breaking up your assignments so you can get them done more easily or making time so you will not have a panic attack at midnight because you didn’t do any of your work, it is really important to space out how you are going to finish your homework.
All in all, there are students everywhere who have to deal with living in two worlds at once, and most of them don’t know how to control the stress that is piled onto them on a daily basis. As long as you manage your time and keep track of the homework that you have to do, you will be golden. Good luck to all students, and I hope you will be able to live the best of both worlds.
