Dear Nashie,
How do I manage sports and academics?
Signed,
Courtney Kitchen
Form I
Dear Courtney,
I’m sure you’ve heard it a million times, but let me tell you anyway: learning how to balance your time is one of the most important skills that you can learn as an Upper School student. By asking this question early on, you’re setting yourself up for future success both as a student and an athlete, so kudos to you!
The truth is, everyone has their own special way of managing both, but reducing the amount of time you procrastinate is, by far, the best way to both balance and excel in academics and sports.
To make every spare moment during your evenings count, first identify exactly how you procrastinate. Is it napping? Watching Netflix? Scrolling through your Instagram feed?
After you’ve pinpointed exactly what is preventing you from achieving your fullest potential, it’s important to find ways to avoid procrastinating in this specific way.
If you mainly avoid doing homework by surfing the Internet, the Google Chrome apps “StayFocusd” and “Strict Workflow” offer quick fixes to this issue. As an added bonus, both of these apps can be downloaded for free from the Chrome Web Store.
With StayFocusd, you can place a limit on the amount of time that you spend on a “time-wasting” website like Facebook.
Words cannot explain how much I’ve been able to get done after downloading this app.
Now, if I try to visit BuzzFeed as a reprieve from my calculus homework, StayFocusd asks me, “Shouldn’t you be working?” And, of course, the answer is always a yes.
Regardless of how you do it, preventing yourself from falling into the trap of procrastination is crucial to getting better grades and getting a healthy amount of shut-eye – an often-overlooked part of your performance on the athletic field.
Yes, not getting to go on a “time-wasting website” like Tumblr whenever you want can be a bummer sometimes, but the feeling of having been productive is one of the most gratifying feelings in the whole world.
After a few days of having truly been productive, you’ll finish your homework sooner, go to bed earlier and be able to concentrate better while playing sports and attending your classes.
And productivity has great long-term effects as well. After weeks and months of avoiding Facebook with all your heart, you might even earn higher grades and feel happier and less stressed-out in general. So make little changes in your daily routine now; I promise you can do it, Courtney!
