The act of balancing school, sports, extra circulars, social life, and other activities is a tricky path for anyone. It requires time management, planning, and organization. Balancing life looks different to everyone, and it takes a while to learn what works for an individual. By the time many students are juniors and seniors, they tend to have found a formula that works for them.  

A simple method to the madness of high school is planning. Megan Le 22’ said, “the biggest thing that helped was a planner, I wrote down every single thing that I had to do for the next day, which helped me remember all of the things I had to finish.”  

Like Le, Holt Witter 22’ said that “having a checklist of chores or things I need to get done,” is most helpful to him.  

Similar to the checklist strategy, Witter said, “having a set routine is what works best for me.” An easy adjustment to create a routine Maddy Beer 22’ suggested, “just waking up and going to bed at the same time every day.” This provides an individual with an understanding of how much time and energy they will have to complete daily tasks. 

Unlike the straightforwardness of planning, a seemingly odd but brilliant strategy recommended by Beer is, “tactical procrastination” in which you plan your time after school by working backward from the time you want to go to bed. To do this an individual must estimate how long each task will take and section out time to complete work while still having time for a life outside of school on a day-to-day basis. 

Many Prep students are constantly involved in multiple out-of-school commitments and some days, time for completing homework simply is not there. That is where Witter’s advice “to take advantage of study halls” comes into play. While it is hard to not get distracted by friends, Witter importantly notes, that “future you will be thanking you when you do not have to do homework after practice or on a Sunday night.” 

A piece of advice from seniors is to communicate with parents and teachers. This skill not only equips an individual with balance tips, but Witter added that this communication skill “comes in handy with college apps a few years down the road” and provides a student with the ability to take on some self-advocacy.  

While balance is key to fitting everything into a busy schedule, Maia Miller 22’ points out that she must remind herself “that I cannot possibly get everything done all the time, and I also need to make time to rest so I do not burn myself out.”  

Miller thinks that it is a matter of prioritization. According to Miller, “finding a balance does not mean equally dividing your time,” and recommends “prioritizing what matters most and cutting yourself some slack in the process”.  

Beer supports cutting back and said, “Do not be afraid to quit! If there is something you are involved in that is causing more stress than it is worth, drop it!”  

In the process of finding balance Witter mentioned, “I had to start prioritizing the things I cared most about,” which is a learning curve for most. 

              There is a consistent theme in all this advice. Prioritization, planned procrastination, and downtime appear to be the winning formula in balancing high school life. If things feel overwhelming, it’s probably a good indication that it’s time to cut down. What is clear from all these accomplished seniors is that it is possible to do it all, just not all the time.