Student Blog: How I Manage My Life

Being a high school theater student can be tough! My schedule is jam-packed with rehearsals every day after school and Saturday mornings. I typically arrive home from practice about 7:30 P.M., and let me tell you, I AM SLUMPED! When I walk into my house, all I want to do is collapse into my bed and sleep. Unfortunately, my reality is that I have to do schoolwork for at least an hour before I can relax. So, how can I balance all of my academics with my hectic schedule? Let me tell you!

Every year, four shows are performed at my school. There is always a high school fall play, a middle school fall show, and a winter and spring play or musical. That means we start the next show as soon as we complete the previous one! There is no time for breaks because we use up as much rehearsal time as possible. That being said, I am involved in all high school productions and work backstage for the middle school show. It can be a lot, and time management has been my foundation this year.

(Side note- my school literally put on a production about high school students and the immense pressure they are under to succeed in school. You should check it out! It’s called Ranked and the music is great. Find it on Spotify or YouTube!) 

I'm fortunate enough to have a study hall at school for at least one semester of the year. When I'm in study hall, I try to plan the remainder of my week and figure out how I'm going to attack my assignments efficiently. Fortunately, most of my teachers post our homework assignments before the start of the week, so we know what is expected in the following days. This allows me to jot down which assignments I intend to complete on which days and when I plan to complete them.

For instance, here is an example of what I may write down: 

Monday: 

• Math Worksheet (Get done from 8:00-8:45) 
• History paragraph (Get done from 8:45-9:00 P.M.) 
• Try to get a headstart on English reading if you have time! 

One of the most beneficial things I can do for myself is to plan my weekdays in advance. It helps me in feeling more organized and less worried. When I do this, I rarely fall behind, and I have never handed in a late assignment! My school is incredibly supportive of all students participating in the performing arts, and they are very flexible about tests and quizzes during tech week. They want us to be as relaxed as possible, and they are willing to go to any length to watch us succeed.

This upcoming school year, I'll be doing a lot of planning! I'll be a senior in high school, and I want to major in Musical Theater in college. That means I'll be auditioning for a variety of programs in fall and spring. I'm very excited and can't wait to see what the future holds. Hopefully I stay on task. ;)

I hope that you find my time-management strategies helpful! Try them out. You never know, maybe they will help you too!