It’s tricky being a superstar athlete, an extraordinary painter, an up and coming musician or a future scientist whilst balancing academics. That’s why we’re going to give you 8 top tips on how to keep up with your hobbies whilst getting stellar grades in your education.
1) Manage your time!
Everyone struggles to put their hobbies aside for a second and focus on schoolwork. We have all been there. As fun as hobbies are, schoolwork is extremely important as well and it’s vital that you manage your time effectively to make room for both academics and extracurriculars.
Start by making a timetable of when you are going to do some schoolwork and when you will be doing your hobbies. Having a schedule will help you put into perspective what you need to be doing.
2) Be picky about your extracurriculars!
You don’t have to be good at every single hobby your school may offer you or one of your friends wants you to try. If you think it isn’t for you, then don’t carry on with it.
It’s as simple as that.
By sticking to a few extracurricular activities that you truly enjoy, you will be able to dedicate more of your time to your studies.
3) Try studying with your friends!
Studying by yourself can become quite tedious after a while. Instead, you could organize for your friends and yourself to start a study group. That way, you can support each other whilst studying and socialize as well. It’s also a good way of gaining more knowledge that your friends might know which you do not.
4) Have the right attitude!
If you have a big maths exam coming up but you haven’t done any revision yet, then it’s time to put the football or guitar away and start focusing more on your studies. Having the right attitude can work wonders when you need to be strict with yourself over how much time you spend doing hobbies versus academics. If you have noticed that you are studying too much for that big test and are getting too stressed and tired, then take a break and chill out by focusing on a hobby. It works both ways.
5) Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Whether you’re struggling to keep up with your studies in class or you’re just feeling overwhelmed in general, ask for help! Approach a mentor that you know in your school or from your extracurricular activities and ask them to give you some advice. When you’re struggling and getting overwhelmed with everything, it’s going to be hard to do well in both your hobbies and academics. It’s better to talk it through with someone you trust than to worry about it.
6) Take a break every now and then!
Studying and practicing your extracurricular activities every day can lead you to burn out. You should take breaks during the day for a little while to help you keep your head in the game. Hard work and no play leads to stress and tension.
Read a book, watch a movie, listen to your favourite playlist or spend time with friends. Remember that you have weekends and you should use this time to do something that you want to do.
7) Limit your distractions!
Are you a fan of listening to music? Playing videogames? Binge watching TV shows? Well, then it’s time to put those things on the backbench for now and start focusing more on your academics.
Obviously, you can still do all those things during your free time or breaks but doing them when you’re supposed to be studying is a big distraction and will not help you to get good grades. Instead, why don’t you move yourself into another room away from them.
Maybe even try studying in a library, a café or even a park for a change of scenery. You never know, it may help you.
8) Studying vs extracurriculars!
As boring as it may be, studying should always take precedence over extracurricular activities. It’s vital that you get good grades and even though both may be important to you, education trumps extracurriculars.
If it looks like you may be double booked in your schedule between your studies and extracurriculars, then it may be wise to be more partial to your studies. One band rehearsal can be missed for an afterschool lesson on a subject you’re not so good at.
After reading through these tips, you should have a good idea on how to balance both your studies and your hobbies. It will benefit you greatly if you take a few pointers from this article and adapt the way you would usually balance academics and your extracurricular activities.
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