Managing time can be difficult for high school athletes. With school, games, practices, other extracurricular activities and homework, it may seem like it is impossible to do it all. This can create stress and anxiety that can lower academic and athletic performance. Time management is a crucial key to success to ensure results on the field and in the classroom. With just three steps, student-athletes can make sure to achieve their fitness and academic goals by managing time wisely. Whether you play sports or not, these tips can help each student succeed academically.
Step number one: plan to keep track of school work by using a device such as a planner or calendar. In high school, most students go home to do homework every single night, especially students that are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes. According to a U.S. News report, 79 percent of Redwood students take AP courses. During weeks loaded with tests and projects, it can be especially hard to stay on top of both athletics and academics. However, by staying organized and on top of your work, you can manage your time successfully while focusing on school and sports. Junior and varsity soccer player James Mostafavi uses his planner to stay organized and on top of his work.
“I use a planner for my assignments, which I frequently check throughout the day. Personally, I’m a procrastinator, and using my planner keeps me as efficient as possible,” Mostafavi said. “In my planner, I label which classes I have homework assignments in, when they’re due, and when I need to complete it. It helps me have structure for my schoolwork and for the rest of my day.”
Step number two: prepare for upcoming events. If you know you have a game or test that week or practice along with homework each night, it can help to prepare ahead of time. By preparing for a rigorous schedule, you can balance each assignment one piece at a time. Creating consistent study habits despite hectic weeks can be extremely beneficial for student-athletes. To help build better study habits, try preparing for tests ahead of time and don’t wait until the last minute to study. Additionally, in many cases, athletes are excused from class on game days. On these days, especially if playing an away game, it can be especially helpful to be proactive about the work that you are missing during those . It may help to reach out to your teachers and notify them of your upcoming absence. This way, you can stay on the same page as your teachers, and you can work to organize an extension for the assignments in the classes you miss.
“If I have a game, I’ll ask for an extension a day in advance for the classwork I’m missing for soccer,” Mostafavi said.
Junior and mountain biker Aidan Ring finds that preparing for his week ahead of time can help him get his work done while also succeeding in his races.
“There’s a really direct correlation between biking, my grades and time for assignments. Sometimes, I look at my schedule and see I have a test here and there and I prepare for those ahead of time, not last minute, so I have time for biking as well,” Ring said.
Students often have to travel for certain tournaments or athletic events. In Ring’s case, the mountain biking team often schedules meets that are far away from home, making it difficult to manage school work.
“With races, it takes up the whole weekend as most of the meets aren’t local. It’s a long way anywhere we go, we only get one race per season where we get to spend Friday nights at home,” Ring said. “This season, we have races in Modesto, Granite Bay and Monterey, so I prepare for those and try to get my work done before the weekend, so I have no worries while I’m out there racing.”
And finally, step three: prioritization. An easy way to finish work efficiently and manage your time around sports is to prioritize the relative importance of each task you have to complete.
“What I’ll try and do is be my most efficient before practice so I get as much stuff done [as I can] and then afterward, I do my less urgent work,” Mostafavi said.
One strategy is to space out your work by difficulty. Prioritizing your harder assignments can help you manage your time and your stress levels so that you have the time to play at your best ability while also maintaining your grades.
“You’ve got to prioritize. Tests are first [and] projects are next. Unfortunately there are some assignments that get pushed off until the last minute, but make sure that those are my easier assignments so that I can get them done quickly if I’m crunched for time,” Ring said.
There may be days when it feels impossible to manage sports and schoolwork. Although it may be hard to perfect, good time management can go a long way for athletes trying to excel in not just their sport, but in their classes as well. Remembering these three steps — planning, preparing and prioritizing — can benefit athletes and keep their stress levels at a minimum.
