An essay, a test, a college deadline, a sports game, a concert. This is the reality for high school students across the country. Every night, students often struggle to balance their workloads; they are overwhelmed by the immense pressure that comes with meeting all of their academic deadlines, as well as participating in their extracurriculars. Students these days are more stressed now than ever, and most of this can be attributed to poor time management skills. Successful time management includes organizing, prioritizing and compromising.

Above all else, organization is a key component of managing your time well. If your desk, folders, or agenda are an avalanche of papers, then it is almost impossible to get things done on time, as well as keep track of what needs to be done. A good place to start is by utilizing an agenda. It is often helpful to write down the homework for each class, each day. Once you have done that, it is easier to allot a specific amount of time for each assignment. An agenda easily eliminates the urge to procrastinate. If you have a specific due date recorded, that is motivation to get it done sooner, rather than later.

While time management is thought to only apply to completing the tasks at hand, it is also significant when accounting for free time. Every night, students are bombarded with assignments. Even though it is important to maximize your time, one simply can not work continuously. If this were the case, then every high school student would be driven insane. According to a study conducted by the Huffington Post, it is recommended that students take breaks every 45 minutes.

At times, enjoying a little free time is more important than the actual work itself. This is because it allows the mind to take a break and settle before handling the next workload. Without relaxing, one can be stuck at a desk, mindlessly staring at unfinished work without the mental capacity to be productive.

The best way to add in free time is to tackle your agenda, completing multiple of your unfinished tasks until you feel fatigue. Once the quality of your work appears to be diminishing, you must direct your attention to something other than the tasks at hand. This can be going on your phone, watching television, grabbing a snack, or playing video games. This break should not be too long where it can draw your attention away from your overall goal. Instead, it should be should be just enough to allow your mind to rest and reset, so that you can work effectively after.

Being proactive is a key part of managing your time well; it can be the difference between a night of pulling out hair at 3am, or a good night’s sleep. Many student athletes struggle to get work done. This can be solved by having conversations with coaches and teachers. Knowing that you are overwhelmed with schoolwork, it is always acceptable to ask coaches to miss a practice.

When you show up to class without your completed homework, teachers will angrily ask, “Why?” This is when excuses start to pour out like water from an overflowing dam. A good and simple way to avoid this situation is to connect with teachers, and let them know your situation.

It is also important to talk with coaches. They recognize the concept of a student athlete, and know that academics take priority over athletics. The ability to prioritize is a prominent strategy in time management, and will be useful long after high school.

The weekend is a time to rejuvenate, relax and recover. There are several strategies to avoid being bogged down with schoolwork over the weekend. If you have nothing going on Friday afternoon, try to get some of your homework done. If you finish it then, the rest of the weekend is free of worrying. Another strategy is to do work in the car if you are traveling somewhere for the weekend. This is a great way to ensure a fun filled weekend.

Alongside these other strategies, chunking out work is vital for time management. Making use of every possible moment of time can go a long way. Rather than sitting in the cafeteria during a free period, take the initiative to complete some of your homework in the library to reduce the time you need to spend after school.

Time management is a common issue among students, and is arguably the most important skill to succeed in high school. Employing all of these strategies will make you a better student, and will put you on a fast track to success