By Ibitunde Favour

The most successful people in the world have a particular skill in common; they are experts in the art of balancing activities. While being so disorganized it is a common characteristic of those who do not really have their life together. 

Williams, a sophomore student, has always found it difficult to balance his academics, with his extracurricular activities and this affected him in his freshman year. Williams loved the idea of being independent, so he got a part-time job. There were times he had to attend networking programs and this sometimes clashed with his part-time job. Williams unintentionally neglected his academics as he often missed classes and sometimes, tests. At the end of his first year as a student of the University, he performed poorly academically. Now, he wants to be able to balance studying with his extracurricular activities but he is confused on how to go about it. 

Perhaps, you are in a situation like Williams’ and you have heard that combining studying with other activities will definitely lead to one affecting the other, here is to tell you that you can actually strike a balance between your studies and other activities.

The first thing to do is to be organized. You can write out everything you are involved in and allocate time to each of them. It is even easier now that we have “to-do” apps. When you do this, it helps you know all you have to do each day and be strictly dedicated to the time set apart for each activity. Williams did not know how to not let his part-time job affect his studies, hence, his studies was on the receiving end.

You also need to give priority to your health. Engaging in different activities without taking time to rest or engage in activities that help relax is equal to using a car everyday without servicing its engine and in due time, it will break down. The body deserves rest, give it to it. Eating healthily is also important.

Discover a study pattern that works for you. You need to find out what works for you. Your studies should be your primary assignment, you should know the time of the day you study well and try to work towards making that particular time free. Once you discover what works for you, you will have a lot of things in place, without anything affecting the other. 

You can also communicate with your employer. Your employer definitely has some information about you, so you should try to reach out to him or her, when need arises, you never can tell if they will be able to help.

Seek help. No one is an island of knowledge. Join study groups, approach nice lecturers or people in higher levels who are ready to help and try to attend tutorials whenever you can. Even if you miss your classes, you should seek help. “A closed mouth, is a closed destiny,” they say.

Do not bite more than you can chew. Some people have more than a job, knowing fully well that they cannot balance it all. Do not take on more than is in your capacity, as it will definitely have its effects and in most cases, negative ones.

Being a student does not necessarily mean you should ignore other aspects of your life. After your education, you will have to face the real world. Engaging in different productive activities will help you build your future. We have the key to choose our paths in life and it is important to learn how to strike a balance between it all.