Finding a Healthy Balance: Tips for Managing High School Responsibilities and Extracurricular Activities
You may feel like you have a lot to do and very little time during your high school years, that your schedule is getting tighter with activities, and that you don't know where to start with your homework.
What if we told you that finding a balance between academic and extracurricular activities is possible? Today, we will share some recommendations to help you find a healthy balance, manage your time, and face your responsibilities with less stress.
Organize your priorities.
We know that this part is the most difficult. However, it is the most necessary. To meet all your responsibilities, you must be flexible and understand that you will have to interrupt low-priority tasks to attend to more urgent ones. Although extracurricular activities are relevant, your grades and knowledge will be the determining factors for your future.
Create a schedule and stick to it.
In order to stay up-to-date with all your responsibilities, it is essential to rely on an organizational structure. We recommend schedules because they allow you to visualize all your pending tasks easily and arrange them in such a way that nothing is left out. Remember to not only leave time available for studying, but also for rest.
You do not have to be a part of everything!
On the contrary, you should focus your energy on extracurricular activities that you enjoy. Don't sign up for teams or groups that don't interest you. The valuable time you would spend on something you might not enjoy could be directed toward more study time to improve your grades, or getting well-deserved rest.
It is OK to say no.
Prioritize your goals before the ones of other people. It is easy to be convinced by other people to change your plans; do not forget to put first what is important to you. For example, if a friend tells you he needs extra help with his assignments, but helping him would take away time from your responsibilities, it makes more sense to say no.
Take time to rest.
While following a routine, it is normal to feel tired or bored, so taking a break is not a bad thing. During your study sessions, you should take at least thirty minutes of rest between each hour of work. Keep in mind that it is not healthy to demand more of yourself than necessary.
Be careful to get enough sleep; this is not optional. Give your brain at least 8 hours of rest to achieve better performance in all your activities.
Ask for help when necessary.
Ask your teachers or tutors for help immediately if any topic gets too difficult for you. If you leave it to the last minute, this could become a problem in your schedule.
Putting these recommendations into practice could help you make better use of your time and proportionally dedicate it to the things that are important to you that may benefit you in the future.