High school is, inevitably, busy. Courtesy of The Howler, here are some tips to stay on top of your work.

Write it all down

In the midst of it all, keeping track of varying practice times and competition dates can be overwhelming. To counter this, write all of your tasks in a planner to help you visualize what needs to get done, and watch your organization skills and productivity rise.

Allocate your time

It’s a trap that we know all too well: you convince yourself “it’s just 10 minutes of relaxing! ” and it turns into hours of lying on the couch on your phone. To avoid this, create a schedule around your practices and competitions and allot a certain amount of time each week for assignments and activities. Make sure to include time to relax (but not too much)!

Use your weekends wisely

You’ll know when you have major exams and assignments coming up, so plan ahead to study and work over the weekend! It’s tempting to put it all off (“I have the whole weekend to work!”), but time really does fly, and working when you have the time will really help you out, especially after a high-intensity practice or a long competition.

Take advantage of tutorial

It can be an extremely productive 35 minutes – if you want it to be. It’s tempting to put it all off until after school, but athletes know that after practice, it’s even more tempting to just eat dinner and sleep. By intentionally working on completing your assignments during tutorial, you can drastically reduce the amount of time you spend working at home and give yourself more time to recuperate postworkout.

Do not stress – Have fun!

Before you scoff (“easier said than done!”), take this one to heart. Seriously. The friendships you’ll make, the skills you’ll learn and the sheer amount of fun you’ll have makes playing a sport at Northwood an incredible experience. Immerse yourself in that experience, not letting any opportunities thrown at yougo to waste. Do not stress about schoolwork during sports practice. Enjoy both athletics and academics to make the most of your time.