Balancing multiple sports, school work, a job, and a social life can be overwhelming. Everyone knows that time management is crucial for success, but what does that even mean? Student athletes at Urbana High School share their tips for time management.

#1. Always prioritize school

Aidan Himes is a sophomore at Urbana, he plays football, basketball, and lacrosse. Aidan states, “Remember that you’re a student athlete. Student comes first, do your school work first”. 

Another sophomore, Haley Choi, has a similar perspective. She suggests, “Always make sure that school comes first because a lot of people will  neglect school”. Haley plays for a club field hockey team, and she’s also enrolled in the IB program. It’s easy to become too busy for the things that are most important to you, like getting good grades or seeing your friends. Try to prioritize school over everything, because like Aidan said, “Student comes first”.

#2. Don’t procrastinate 

Forbes Magazine states, “Naturally we procrastinate for many reasons, these can include feeling overwhelmed, finding it hard to make decisions, feeling like you are too busy to work on the things you need to be doing, feeling unsure, feeling anxious or simply just feeling too tired!” 

A 2016 study found that procrastination was most prevalent in 14 to 29 year olds. 80%–95% of college students procrastinate, with 50% of college students procrastinating consistently. Learning to manage your workload and finding which techniques work for you will prove useful in the future, especially for those planning to go to college.

Procrastinating can cause a lot of anxiety and stress, but leaving your homework to “worry about later” is doing more harm than good. It’s best to get everything out of the way as soon as you can, especially if you have a busy schedule like many other student athletes do.

There are many different methods you could use to overcome procrastination. One method is setting small goals. Create a list of small goals you can achieve a lot faster than larger goals, like answering a couple questions on a homework assignment or adding a new slide to an upcoming project. Another method would be eliminating distractions while you work. While this sounds a lot easier said than done, turning your phone off or leaving it in another room can help you finish tasks quicker.

#3. Have a daily routine

Sam Jeram, a junior who plays both football and basketball, says that one of his keys to success is discipline. He also claims to follow the same schedule everyday, and while this technique works well for Sam, it may be a little extreme for others. 

It can be very useful to have a standard routine to use as a guide everyday to avoid drowning in overdue assignments. Take some time to think about what your average school day looks like, and mark down a few time windows that you can use to get caught up on homework, go to work, attend practice, or whatever else you have to do that day. 

Citations:

Cole, B. M. (2020, April 8). 6 ways to conquer procrastination. Forbes. Retrieved January 30, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/biancamillercole/2020/04/08/6-ways-to-conquer-procrastination/?sh=2e0f86312f66