It’s a race against the clock as the ticking echoes, your schedule is packed, and you haven’t started your assignments for tonight. Students face the decision as to whether they should quit their jobs or school activities. Different time management may be the solution for this dilemma.

Get out that planner! You need a schedule.

Time management is a very important tool in a student’s everyday life. It can be overwhelming for students who have a job and AICE classes along with playing on a team or being a member of a club.  Activities, sports, personal life, work and school can all be very stressful to sort through. Even for people who struggle with managing their time, a set schedule can be extremely helpful. 

This was the case for junior Bronco, Ijeoma Nwankwo. “I would say something that would help manage the stressful burdens of AICE classes, a job, and a variety of clubs/honor societies is making an agenda for the day and sticking to it,” Nwankwo explained. “I’ve noticed that the days I create an agenda, I get more done and don’t manage to distract myself as much. It helps you keep track of all assignments due and activities you participate in.”

Although it may be hard to crack down on ourselves and stay focused, it is a necessary tool for busy students. 

Get your head out of the books and into the world!

Having a set schedule and agenda are great ways to stay on task throughout our hectic lives, but most people leave out a vital part of the day, spending time on themselves. While staying on task is important, staying healthy and sane is just as notable. Social time is essential to stay mentally healthy.

“I like doing my work early so that I don’t have to stress out about homework at the last minute,” senior Paris Truong commented. “When I do my work early I get to do what I want like go to the gym, hang out with friends, and come home stress free.” 

According to a study by Dr. Craig Sawchuk, Mayo Clinic psychologist, “socializing not only staves off feelings of loneliness, but also it helps sharpen memory and cognitive skills, increases your sense of happiness and well-being, and may even help you live longer.” 

Take time for yourself! You deserve it. 

Self care is all about taking care of yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally. That varies for everyone in society, especially students. 

“I am currently an A/B honors student, taking extra courses online, and working for two separate companies outside of school,”  junior Kristian Greene mentioned. “This had a huge effect on me within my freshman year. I woke up, went to school, got home to instantly do homework, went to work, and came home to do my online courses before bed. I couldn’t keep up. My mental and physical well-being plummeted.” 

Whatever floats your boat. It is vital to have self care as a student. Most students hang out with their friends, family, or dive back into their hobbies.  Overflowing homework, hectic schedules, and outside activities can become overwhelming to where you forget about the person that matters the most. Can you guess? Yourself! 

“This year I have taken the necessary steps towards working on my time management,” commented Greene. “This could range from doing something I love; to taking a long, warm bath. This has significantly improved both my mental and physical health.”

The more you manage, the less you stress!

Balancing work and personal lives can be hard, but it’s something that is vital to students’ lives. You can only overwork yourself so much before you end up breaking. Taking time for yourself is one of the most valuable things you can do to improve both your school and personal life.