Balancing school and activities proves difficult

With good time management skills, you are in control of your time and your life, your stress and energy levels, and you are able to maintain balance between your work, personal, and family lives. You have enough flexibility to do other activities that do not include just your responsibilities.

Jahnai Bryant is a senior at Bishop McNamara with a 4.2 GPA. She is involved with Math Honors Society, Korean Culture Club and Tech Crew, and is in a completer program called F.A.D.E (Fine Arts Diploma Endorsement). Although she participates in these extracurricular activities, she manages to keep her grades up. Bryant is a stellar individual who can balance multiple things and still be on top of her academics.

If you find that your after-school activities are taking up too much of your time, find an excuse to limit just one of those activities. It’s important to remember that although extracurricular activities are a great addition to your academic life, they are just that: extra. Your main job is to be a good student.

A way to be successful is to not procrastinate because the more time you wait, the less time you have to ensure that your work is done well. Although procrastination is not good, Jahnai sometimes still succumbs to the temptation of putting off her assignments. Yet most of the time she still manages to get all of her work completed and done well. “I like to do my homework in senior privilege class so I don’t have as much to do when I get home,” Bryant said.

Another way to have good time management is to make a planner or checklist and determine how long each task will take to better determine how they will fit with your schedule. “Don’t take on more than you can handle, know what type of student you are, set limits,” La Plata guidance counselor Mrs. Cherry said.

“Coordinate your traffic patterns. Organization is key,” Mrs. Savoy, the guidance secretary, said.

With numerous assignments and activities on your plate, make sure you prioritize each task. Do not overwhelm your schedule, or it may become too much to handle. Also, make it interesting: Give yourself rewards for a job well done, like treating yourself to dinner and a movie, or shopping after you’ve finished your homework.