Recently I timed an average day in school for me, measuring from the first stroke of my pen to the moment I finished the excessive amount of homework. When glancing at my timer I was met with disbelief. I had spent 11 hours focusing on my academics and honestly by the time I had finished, I didn’t know what to do with myself.
This is the case for most students at this school. Academics have consumed the majority of our lives, whether it’s staying up until all hours of the night to complete a project or attending tutoring before school. It’s gotten to the point that we put aside our hobbies and interests, directing all of our energy and time into our schoolwork. We’re forced to choose a career over a passion rather than finding a way to pursue your interests through your profession.
It’s understood that we are expected to put 100 percent into each assignment we receive and invest an appropriate amount of effort into achieving respectable grades, but at what expense? I know students who used to dance or play the piano but have given these attractions up in order to make time for their studies.
A recent story in USA Today explains how an average teenager’s stress level was a 5.8 out of 10 during the school year, demonstrating how the mental pressure students handle throughout the school year can negatively affect them. Schools expect a lot from it’s students and can push some to their limits, resulting in mental breakdowns or giving up an enjoyable activity.
It’s time for a change.
Now this doesn’t mean tell your teachers to assign less homework or start a petition to have school end earlier. It’s time we start managing our schedules and I mean actually managing them. As the ambitious students we are, we need to stop over-committing ourselves and focus on what’s important to us. If you love to play sports then please pursue athletics rather than the AP class or if you have a true passion for debate then make time in your schedule for it because one day you won’t have the opportunity to take part in these extracurriculars/clubs.
A few tips for managing your time better would be:
–Start using a planner. I know it sounds cheesy but believe me it works. It becomes habitual to check it when you get home, resulting in a less likely chance that you will forget to do assignments as well as knowing when you are free and when you aren’t.
–Make a To-Do list. This will help you realize everything you must accomplish that day as well as giving you a skeleton of a schedule that you can follow when completing the list.
–Plan time for interruptions. We can’t control what happens in life. What if it takes you an extra fifteen minutes to get home because of an accident or your teacher didn’t give you the promised work day in class? Now you’re off of your schedule and the world seems to be ending. Plan ahead and give yourself an extra five minutes for each activity and if there’s no interference, then you get a short break!
The time for you to pursue your passions is now because life is short and you must spend every second wisely.