<p>I have been under a lot of stress lately because of tough teachers/subjects and lots of tournaments. I'm normally a really good student but this year its been hard for me to balance it with my sports schedule. I got my first B last grading period and it has really been bothering me. If anyone has tips on balancing sports, clubs, schoo and social events please share them!</p>
<p>I don’t do typical sports but I’m on an FRC team which means ~30h a week for 2 to three months (and ~7-8h off season), and this is how I did (and will do) it:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Considered my priorities: School was, and will be, at the top. But then I had to consider how much to commit to and what to drop. At some point I had to stop doing smaller activities because I couldn’t do everything.</p></li>
<li><p>Got ahead: I used weekends, holidays, and days with fewer classes (that didn’t have robotics…) to get ahead on reading, homework, and assignments. </p></li>
<li><p>Stayed organized: It was very difficult (for me at least) but I have found that having an organized way to keep track of homework/assignments (and keeping the assignments organized enough to find them later) helped save way more time than it took. I use Sticky Notes to with columns of stuff to do, due date, approximate time to complete, and status. I’ve also experimented with Excel, Word, and other stuff but it didn’t work out for me.</p></li>
<li><p>Figured out what was necessary: I didn’t enjoy doing this, but I found some homework more necessary than others. None of it was graded, and I found that I didn’t have to do all my math homework to keep up. It was my last resort strategy and I’d use a weekend to catch up, but it was the only way to make it through the week.</p></li>
<li><p>Broke up time: I just can’t do many hours of the same type of homework. I get super unproductive and procrastinate online. So I mix up the homework I don’t like with the ones I do, and I alternate back and forth. Breaks also seem to waste time but it helped me stay on track. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>@Andr01d wow thanks! Those are really good strategies!</p>
<p>Do you have any advice on getting enough sleep as well?</p>
<p>I’m glad they were useful! :)</p>
<p>About sleep…well…sort of:
It depends on why you don’t sleep much. Are you doing homework? Studying? Or doing other stuff?</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sleeping time: I try to wake up at the same time each day. It keeps me from sleeping in a ton on the weekends and not being able to go to bed earlier on Sunday night. If I didn’t I’d get very little sleep Sunday night. I also feel less tired with a consistent schedule, even if I’d be sl</p></li>
<li><p>Procrastination: I do it all the time, but I try not to…oh well. I’ve heard there’s an add on for Firefox that lets you block certain pages after a certain time. If this is a problem for you that might help.</p></li>
<li><p>Homework/studying: I try not to leave it to the last minute…I’m not always successful, but I try my best. I use nights to study/finish only stuff that is absolutely necessary, and use stuff like Sticky Notes and Excel to keep track of assignments. </p></li>
<li><p>Stress: This was a major thing recently. I use the internet, and forums like this, to de-stress especially after long days. It’s not always the best way, because I spend way longer here than I should. I used to spend ~5min stretching before bed last year, and it really helped me. I’m just too lazy to do it now… 
</p></li>
<li><p>Computers: They make me feel awake, which isn’t good at bedtime. I try to end computer/phone use early and do only “paper” homework late, but that’s an idea and not really a practice…</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I hope that helps. I’m not great at getting enough sleep myself, although I have been able to maintain 7 to 8 hours a night so far. I’d say just identify why you don’t sleep enough and tackle it from there. </p>
<p>Also writing down a goal each week (make it realistic) has helped me for some areas, and sleep will be my next big goal. I’ll probably break it down into stuff like “turn off laptop before 10:30” and stuff like that. Achievable goals are nicer than huge ones that seem impossible. :)</p>
<p>@Andr01d thank you! I’m definitely going to try some of the things you said!</p>
<p>You’re welcome, @aqua02</p>
<p>If you have any other questions let me know (post or PM (not sure if you can PM: there might be a minimum post count)). I’m still a bit confused as to how the site works, but I think if you mention my name it pops up for me. </p>
<p>I’m glad I could help, and good luck!</p>
<p>I definitely know what you’re going through. Something my friends do (and that I’m trying to do) is to micromanage my time and set up a really strict schedule. Like 3-4, I’ll do my chem homework, take a 5 minute break, and start something else. It’s pretty useful actually, and it helps you prioritize. Just an idea!</p>
I think making a time table may help to schedule time for sports as well as for studies as sports and studies both are important for the development of student socially and physically. Take help also from the teacher to guide you to manage the studies and sport tournaments.
http://www.sportsfan.com.au/
I learn to prioritize- ex, do I really need to go to the house party friday? If not, I skip it to make time for sleep and sports and school
Homework always comes first. But since it’s so much busywork, you BS it, faster than it can be assigned and the plenty of remaining time is all yours for extracurriculars.
For tests, use review books and online materials to quickly get in the material you need to ace it and don’t waste too much time trying to memorize everything.
I know how you feel. I do marching band and debate, so I didn’t have all that much free time in the first semester (during marching band) we had marching band 9-18 hours a week, so it all cam down to time management. For example, never procrastanate. Do your homework as soon as you get home. Do your some studying on Sundays. Hopefully, you’ll be able to balance it well! Good luck!
@jakejake637 @tangentline @teenagecrime @realteal17
Thank you all for your advice! I’ve been trying out the scheduling idea and it has helped me a lot.(But I do end up BSing on some things) Although I thought that using weekends was the best thing to do, I started doing little parts of assignments whenever i could and that has helped me get things done a lot faster. The only thing is that you can’t predict your off days (here I am on CC instead of doing my work!!)