5 ways to balance academics & extracurricular activities

Time management is among the most crucial skills that a graduate student must inculcate. Students have a hectic life when in college when they must submit assignments, attend lectures and ensure that all the work is completed within the stipulated time period. The key to effective time management is to spend one’s time on the right thing and avoid distractions that might disrupt one’s plan of action. Here are the top 5 ways to balance academics and extracurricular activities:

Adhere to a schedule

Designing a schedule that suits your needs is the best way to strike a balance. Whether it concerns your timely meals or proper sleep, one must stick to a routine to be able to manage their time wisely. This will also allow you to have clear boundaries between your leisure time and study time without affecting either of them.

Do not multitask

To become multi-talented, students often indulge in several activities at the same time. This hampers the natural progress of any activity which means that you will be distracted in juggling these activities than putting in your best efforts to achieve perfection in one.

Have a positive outlook

Having the right attitude to understand that you can manage your time well is the key to success. Do not give up. If you feel that you are lagging, push yourself some more till you achieve your goal. One of the biggest hindrances in this regard is procrastination. Pushing off a task for tomorrow has never helped anyone. Thus, finish the aligned tasks for the day as planned.

Sort your priorities

While you should invest your time on both academics and extracurricular activities, but you must always know your priorities. You will be told to keep academics on top because that is what is supposed to determine the success level of your career journey, however, if you want to opt one of your hobbies as a full-time career role, you must commit yourself to practice the same.

Speak to your counsellor

Your counsellor is the person who can guide you in the right direction and help you in creating a definite plan of action for the upcoming semester. He or she can also advise you on how you can take out time for extracurricular activities without hampering your study time in any possible way. This will also allow you to always have some room for any unexpected events that might surface here and now so that you can adjust your scheduled tasks accordingly.
Effective time management plays an immensely important role in the academic success of students. There is no doubt that academics play a vital role, however, participation in extracurricular activities is necessary for a student’s holistic development. The strategies mentioned above enable students in planning a balanced day that doesn’t amount to the stress of any kind. This also leads to a peaceful state of mind required to achieve one’s goals in a more determined manner.