Meghan L., 11, of Seattle, has a lot going on every day. “I practice piano, check my e-mail, read, and watch TV at night if I have time,” she says. “I have extracurricular activities, such as soccer and dance, three days a week. I like to hang out with friends too. Usually, I fit most of these in … but some [activities] don’t make it.”

How about you? Do your days sound like Meghan’s? Are you able to fit everything into your schedule? Unless you have a superpower that can stop time, it’s probably impossible to be able to do all the things you want to do. But it is possible to do more if you set priorities. That means you separate out the tasks that are really important and make sure those get done. Then you can make time for everything else!

Must-Do vs. Want-to-Do

“Balancing schoolwork with everything else in life is extremely difficult,” says Amorray M., 13, of Whitestone, N.Y. “The things that I want to do every day are different from the things I need to do every day.” That’s true for everyone. There are some things that you pretty much have to do (must-dos) for a healthy mind and body: Going to school and doing homework are two. You also must take care of yourself by getting nine to 10 hours of sleep a night, eating healthy meals, brushing your teeth, and bathing or showering. And you can’t exactly avoid chores and responsibilities, such as making your bed or feeding your pet.

But you also have want-to-dos. Extracurricular hobbies such as playing basketball, practicing the violin, singing, knitting, and rock climbing are want-to-dos. So are volunteering with your Scout troop, hosting game night with your friends, and reading comic books.

“Although most of us would like to skip the things we have to do, we can’t,” says Harvard University psychologist Nancy E. Hill, who explains that must-dos should be your priorities. “The things that I must do every day, like walking the dog and homework, always come first,” agrees Amorray.

Balancing Your Life

The key to balancing your life is to concentrate on your most important job. Right now that job is school. Focusing on school will pay off down the road, no matter how hard it may be for you to buckle down right now. We promise!

School helps make people better thinkers and better “citizens of the world,” Hill says. Success now may also make a difference when it comes to college and careers. “Focusing on school will increase your opportunities,” says Hill. “When you do well in school, you will have many more choices.”

Try some of the following strategies to help you prioritize schoolwork.

Write everything down. Get a weekly planner or notebook so that you have one place to keep yourself organized. “To make sure I don’t forget an assignment, before I leave class I write down assignments in my planner,” says Brendan L., 13, of Seattle. Jot down due dates too.

Check yourself. In your notebook or planner, make to-do lists and put stars next to the must-dos. Check things off as you complete them.

Be neat and organized. Keeping papers, books, and school supplies in order makes it easy to find and use them. Arranging notes in a multi-pocket binder, using a desk tray with compartments, and sticking to an electronic folder system on your computer are some ways to stay organized.

Follow a routine. “Each day, I come home and finish all of my homework before I start my daily activities,” says Amorray, who knows that having a routine helps her get assignments done. Build homework time into your daily schedule, whether it’s after school or after a half hour of playing outdoors.

Create a study zone. Set up a regular space to do your schoolwork. Stock it with supplies such as writing paper, pens, and paper clips. Meghan likes to study in a cozy corner of her room. Pillows and blankets make it a comfortable “reading nook,” she says. “I can really concentrate and get my work done.”

Break it up. A 10-page report or a yearlong project can seem scary. Try dividing the work into smaller pieces to lighten the load. “Projects are always a long, spread out process,” Brendan says. “I take the full amount of days I am given and split the work so I am not stuck with any eight hour homework loads.”

Work with family and friends. Ask your parents to help you set and meet goals and remind you of important deadlines. “My parents help me to fit in my schoolwork with my other activities,” says Brendan. Ask a friend to be a study buddy, and do homework together or quiz each other before an exam.

Everything in Place

If you try some or all of those strategies and still find yourself overworked and tired, or if you feel as though no matter how hard you try, you can’t meet all your goals, you could have too much going on. Take a break, and talk to a parent, a guidance counselor, or another trusted adult about helping you cut back to a more realistic set of activities. You may have too many things on your plate!

Managing school and other must-dos so you can fit in your want-to-dos will help bring balance to your life. “Learning how to prioritize the most important things ... while still finding time for fun is a skill that will help you the rest of your life,” says Hill.

After you get organized, you may even find you have extra time for some new activities. In fact, you’ll probably find that you’re a whiz at juggling—work and play, that is!

THINK ABOUT IT
Look closely at the chart and list three good ideas on this student’s schedule that you can try in your own life.
 

This article originally appeared in Current Health Kids, January 2010. © 2010 Weekly Reader Publishing.