It’s near the end of February, and in the midst of the second semester, it’s officially crunch time. On one side, we’ve got IBs (International Baccalaureate), APs (Advanced Placement) and final exams just around the corner. On the other, for many, there’s the Texas State Tournament, sports season, the theatre department’s musical; the students of The Village School are swamped. Now, more than ever, is the time to “lock in,” with many realising they really should’ve done so sooner. But as high schoolers, when you’re balancing everything from school and extracurriculars to your own personal life, it can be hard to figure out how to stay organised. Whether you’re pulling yourself together in the middle of the year or looking to build new habits for next time, here are a couple of tips and tricks for keeping your work, your schedule and, most importantly, yourself, together.
1. Don’t Overcommit
Whether you’re wanting to build your resume or just happen to be interested in anything, when surrounded by amazing opportunities and challenges, it can be hard to say no and be decisive about what you’re going to commit to. It’s course selection season at The Village School, and knowing not to load up on hard classes is one thing, but identifying where you might get overwhelmed with yourself is another. If you struggle with research, don’t fill your schedule with research heavy courses. If you spend hours a week on an extracurricular, it’s okay to pick classes with lighter workloads to balance it out. It’s good to challenge yourself, sure, but when everything is a challenge, you won’t be able to manage any of it. This goes for making plans too. If you know you have a lot on your plate, play it safe and don’t add more to it, even if you think you’ll be able to manage in the moment. Give yourself space, even when you don’t think you’ll need it.
2. Keep Track of Everything
The value of using tools to keep your life together like to-do lists or planners is overhyped but certainly not overrated. And one doesn’t need a fancy planner or organisation app committing to a nice tool like these isn’t for everyone and probably won’t end up getting used very long– the use of simple to-do lists or a calendar (like the one probably built into your 
phone) will certainly work, you just have to make a habit of using them. On your to-do list, write absolutely everything that needs to get done down as soon as you find out about it, academic or personal or whatever, and right next to it, write down when it needs to be done. On your calendar, add every single test, meeting and get-together to it. Take some time to look at Canvas or the class syllabus and add stuff to your list as far in advance as possible, so nothing sneaks up on you. Have everything in one place you know you’re going to check (and make a habit of checking/adding to it)– it may look overwhelming, sure, but it will give you a better grasp of what’s actually on your plate, so you can better figure out how to deal with it.
BONUS TIP: When you’re writing down deadlines, set them earlier than they actually are by a few days. You’ll trick yourself into getting work done before it’s due, and you’ll have extra time to improve the quality of your work afterward if needed.
3. Breakdown Your Work
A big reason why people procrastinate is because they feel overwhelmed by their tasks. When you know you need to do something, but you aren’t clear about how long it’s going to take or what exactly you even need to do, your workload can feel scarier than it actually is, and it can be hard to begin. Regardless of the size of the assignment, if it feels like too much, you can always break it down into smaller, more manageable steps. For example, if you have a big assignment due at the end of the week (ie. an essay) break it down into smaller steps (ie. gather your sources, write an outline, do intro and topic statements, etc) and divide those steps out among the week and add each of those to your to-do list, so instead of having to get one big assignment done, you’ve got a bunch of smaller tasks that will build up over time. This can apply to smaller tasks like worksheets or chores, too. Next, estimate how much time each of your tasks, chores or steps will take and add that to the to-do list too. This will give you a better sense of how much time and energy you actually have to dedicate to getting stuff down and allow you to better manage your tasks and make it feel easier to start them.
4. Time Management
Of course, the key to getting anything done is having the time to do it and using that time properly. Time management is something any high school student struggles with and one of the biggest barriers to productivity. The best way to win time back is focusing on screen time. Self regulating is important, but the reason why it so often fails is that people will try to completely restrict their screen time or free time. Give yourself dedicated time (ideally spaced out throughout the day) to scroll, game, or laze away– because your brain is going to crave that dopamine fix whether or not you want it to– but keep those activities within those time bubbles so you’ll be able to focus outside of them. Similarly, give yourself dedicated stretches of time to do your work, chores, or hobbies, adapted to your day to day schedule. Because when you tell yourself you need to get something done today, but aren’t clear on when, odds are you never end up finding the time, or it happens much later than you’d like for it to, so give yourself that time beforehand (and once you’re there, try out the Pomodoro timing technique to stay on task). And always remember, something is better than nothing,
5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help
A huge part of not overcommitting is recognising when you need to lighten the load for yourself, something a lot of students struggle with. Talking to teachers about moving deadlines or rescheduling when it’s not a complete and total emergency is always OK. You might have a week jam-packed with competitions and commitments that you can’t cancel, and the project due at the end of the week suddenly seems like too much. Just email your teacher and ask to move the deadline; it’s good to do this early, as teachers are probably going to be more lenient, so try to keep track of what’s going on in advance (your new to-do list and calendar should help). If you have a conflict of interests, in a week from now, it’s better to think about moving something sooner than later, even if you don’t think you’ll need it. But if you end up in a situation where time got the best of you, ask for some help; the worst thing they can say is no.
6. Prioritize Yourself
Between school, extracurriculars and everything else going on in a student’s life, it can be very easy to neglect yourself, especially when it comes to sleep. But not only does missing sleep lead to a plethora of (really, really terrible) health impacts you’re probably already aware of, but it impairs your ability to really do well in school or your extracurriculars anyway. So make a habit of eventually going to bed at some point no matter what, and listening to your body when it tells you it can’t do this right now, even if it means sacrificing a deadline or a study session. A huge reason why so many people end up working late into the night is because they see it as available time to work, making it easier to procrastinate up into that point If you stop seeing it as an option, eventually, you’ll stop defaulting on it and you’ll get stuff done sooner– not to mention you’re going to have a much easier time paying attention and locking in when you’re running on a decent amount of sleep and food.
At the end of the day, the people of today’s world have a lot going on and a lot to manage, and it can be very easy to fall behind. If you’re in that position, remember that it’s okay. Not every deadline will be met, not every assignment will be perfect and not every task will be gotten around to, but what’s important is not letting that discourage you from trying your best to stay on top of what’s going on in your life. Simple changes in habit or perspective can make a lot of difference, but they will take time and practice. Staying organised isn’t just a skill that will get you through high school, it’s something that will matter for the rest of your life.
