If you’re someone who works hard in school to get good grades, but also has the aim to be a well-rounded youth who has a lot of extracurriculars, then learning to balance your time is essential. Otherwise, you might burn out!
1. Ask Yourself Why
If you’re someone who has a hard time saying no to opportunities, this is a crucial part in balancing your time. The first step is just to have less to balance, and ask yourself if you’re wasting your time doing unnecessary things.
Why are you taking on this task? Doing this internship? Participating in this club? Is the result of how you’re spending your time rewarding enough to be worth spending it at all?
Make sure to reevaluate your tasks and drop any that might be giving you extra, unnecessary grief. This will make balancing your time much, much easier.
2. Organize Yourself
I once heard someone say “a minute of organization is worth hours”, and I truly believe it. As a former sewer rat student, I was constantly stressed out. Probably because I had a lot on my plate, but also because I never organized my space. There was a point where I had to wade through the things on the floor of my bedroom just to get to my bed.
But it doesn’t affect me, I’m sure you’re thinking.
The answer to that is… you’re wrong. A messy, crowded, and disorganized space causes passive and subconscious stress. This is when your mind is just passively busy having to process or block out all the things around you. So take 5 minutes and clean up.
Not only will you be more efficient in finding your keys, but you’ll also be able to feel a little less stressed on a bad day.
3. Set Boundaries… Literally
It’s critical to set very clear boundaries with yourself. Only then will you have no excuse to slack off, and only then will you really be able to take a break when you need to.
Make sure to separate your study space from the rest of your spaces. If you’re not lucky enough to have an office, maybe just pick a corner of a room that you use only to study. Similarly to how insomniacs must leave their beds to the sole task of sleeping, leave each space around you to a sole task. The association will make switching mindsets easier.