“How To” Manage Your Time As A Student Athlete
Being a college bound
student –athlete can be overwhelming if you don’t manage your time
properly. But what I have found is that
many do not know HOW to manage their time. As a teacher, college coach and
administrator, I have used a many of strategies. However my biggest challenge came from my own
children. I am a mother of 4 children, 3
boys and 1 girl. With three of the children still in the house and having their own
schedules and all are involved in activities outside of the home, we have to
manage our time effectively in order for us to do our best. Not
only managing your time makes you a better athlete but it is a habit that will
help you beyond high school. Now that we
are at the start of another school year, this article is written to show you HOW
to manage your time. I know, I know you
still want to have a life too. Well, I
was a high school student-athlete, a college Division I student-athlete, and
now have my own children going through the process. So, I will make it easy but you have to
commit to making it work for you. So
read it, digest it and make it your own.
Kimberli Perry, Editor-In Chief
With
24 hours in a day, you have to fit in at your age the proper amount of rest you
need, eating properly, going to school, homework, study time, practice,
competition, friends, relaxing,
family time, etc.,
right? Well first you definitely have to
learn how to stay organized. Staying
organized and learning how to stay on task can be done in so many ways. One way is to purchase a planner and write
everything down. If you are tech savvy
and you prefer to always keep your phone around then use the Google Calendar. This is a great tool to keep you organized
and it will sync your activities to your smartphone. The good thing about that is that it will
also send you text message alert to remind you to be somewhere.
Using
your planner or your Google Calendar wisely can also help you plan ahead. Plan ahead you say? Yes, plan ahead. As college bound student-athletes there will
be times where you may have to miss a class and/or test or assignments because you
have to go on the road for your game.
Since your games or events are already in your planner or Google Calendar,
you can talk with your teacher earlier rather than later to ensure you cover
all of your academic bases. Being
proactive rather than reactive will keep you ahead of the game rather than
being overwhelmed. Besides, you think
ahead even when you are in a game by anticipating a pass for the steal or telling
your coach you may have to miss practice because you have a doctor’s appointment,
right? So you might as well do it for
everything. Also, if your teacher gives you advance notice
on tests or projects, get started right away!
Don’t wait until the last minute.
The best way to start on something now is by taking time to divide the
work and do a little each day rather than cramming everything the night before
it’s due. IT WILL TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF OF
YOU AND YOU CAN SPEND THAT TIME PREPARING FOR YOUR EVENT!
Remember when using
your planner and Google Calendar, you should always allocate your time throughout
your week wisely by making a weekly agenda.
For example, you have an event on Friday that you know you will need to
leave your class early. Then get your
work done on Wednesday or Thursday. Make
it a point to set deadlines for yourself.
This will help you to make sure that things happen when it needs
to. When allocating your time, include
your down time. Down time is essential
to keep yourself in good spirits. Hanging
out with your friends or even sleeping in are great but make sure that you are
using your weekends wisely. For example,
allocate time for getting a head start on next week’s assignments or even your
chores. J
Now,
I know you really don’t’ want to hear this but turn your phone off during study
time. I have heard from many of students
that they need their phone as a calculator or to look up words. But, turning your phone off during study
times will help you keep your attention where it needs to be. Get a separate calculator and a dictionary
oppose to you using your phone. Let’s be
honest, text messages, Facebook updates, Instagram, snap chats can easily
distract you and don’t allow for good studying.
Speaking of Social Media, Facebook and Twitter are great for keeping up
with friends and current events but they can also be time-consuming. Consider committing to spending an hour less
each day on social media and allocate that time accordingly! I PROMISE, YOU WON’T MISS THAT MUCH!
Finally,
I think it is great to be involved in activities but you must know your
limits. Over extending yourself and
becoming too involved can sometimes make your grades suffer. So, know your limits, use your planner or
your Google Calendar and sign up for things you know you can handle. Always remember this, IT IS OKAY TO SAY
NO!
Well, I know that some of the tips that I have
provided are probably going to be a little difficult because it is new! But I leave you quote by Benjamin Franklin, “If
you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”
Whether you know it or not you are a mini-hero and
mini-heroes need wisdom and they need to know how to get better. This is a start!
