Nov. 2, 2021
By Sebastian Liuba
Staff Writer
At the start of every school year, I know I am going to have a lot on my plate, so I create a plan to manage my time as best as I can. My day usually consists of waking up and going to school, then heading to junior varsity soccer practice for two hours. After that, I go to the gym to do Brazilian Jiu-jitsu until 9 p.m. At that point, I return home to complete my homework and go to bed.
Well, a week after this school year started, I realized I had no time for myself or my friends, so I made the decision to stop doing Jiu-jitsu until soccer season is over. I needed to make time for myself to relax and take a break after a long day. Even though stopping Jiu-Jitsu was upsetting, I knew that my well-being was more important, and I feel a lot happier now.
Even with Jiu-jitsu out of the way, I still need to make sure I manage my time wisely. The first thing I do every day when I wake up at 6:30 a.m. is have a nutritious breakfast such as eggs or cereal. Then, I go to school, and during lunch I try to do all the homework assignments that I received in my morning classes. After school, I play soccer from 4-6 p.m. and then ride my bike home. Once I get to my house around 7 p.m., I eat dinner by myself and then finish the homework I get from my afternoon classes. I end the day by relaxing until I go to bed around 11 p.m.
I view Sunday through Thursday as work days where I concentrate on my academic responsibilities. I like to use Fridays, Saturdays and sometimes Sundays to hang out with my friends, whether that’s attending football games, going for a bike ride or just hanging outside. If I was assigned homework on a Friday, I like to complete it on Sunday because Fridays and Saturdays are the best days of the week, and I want to enjoy them.
The final days of every marking period are when time management is the hardest because of quarterly exams. From my experiences, the best way to deal with all of this is to make sure I don’t procrastinate. If for some reason I don’t have time to work on my quarterlies throughout the week, I have to sacrifice a part of my weekend. While I want to enjoy my days off, I realize that completing my schoolwork is essential to my academic success. When I earn good grades, it motivates me to keep working hard.
The final days of every marking period are when time management is the hardest because of quarterly exams.
Every person should create reasonable goals for themselves. For example, at the end of every marking period, my goal is to have a 90% or above in every class. Completing these goals helps me stay happy and worry-free.
Even though school requires a lot of work, I have had a positive start to the school year because I have remained disciplined and motivated. My main advice to those looking to achieve their academic and personal goals is to make sure to save some time for yourself. This will keep you feeling optimistic and enthusiastic about reaching your goals.
