At the start of Senior High School (SHS), I decided that I would branch out and join activities I’ve been meaning to apply to. I was interested in so many things, like public speaking, writing, videography, and community service. I ended up with two clubs, what they call Program of Excellence (PEX) at my former high school.

Being a member of these PEXs meant that I have a lot of responsibilities to fulfill, from joining nationwide and international competitions, leading school-wide initiatives, and attending the weekly club meetings for each. Honestly, there would be times when I would ask myself how I’ve been managing two clubs and maintaining a 4.0, especially after I established my passion project. It took awhile for me to understand how I worked and what methods worked for me.

Here are some of the tips I have and I hope that you find them useful one way or another!

Choose activities you love

I cannot emphasize choosing activities that interest you enough. It is important to like what you’re doing, especially since your free time would go to your extracurricular activities. You have to be equipped with grit, passion, and perseverance. If you’d rather sleep all day than commit to the requirements that will be handed to you, I suggest not to sign up on the activity in the first place.

 

Prioritize your academics

Academics should always come first before other commitments. It is important to be consistent in getting great marks, especially if the extracurricular activity requires you to maintain a certain grade. Always make sure to listen in class so you already have a deep understanding of the topic. Intently listening in class would require less hours of studying, giving you time to work on your extracurricular activities.

Use a planner

With all the deadlines, competition dates, and meetings, it was difficult to keep track of everything. My planner saved my life! I made it a point to constantly update my planner to keep track of my schedule. It helped me visualise how much time I have left to study for my finals, how hectic my schedule would be for the next week, and how I would be budgeting the time I had on my hands. Make it a habit to write down an assignment as soon as it is mentioned. Even if you think you won’t forget it, chances are you will!

Know your rhythm

People usually talk about how waking up early will get the job done. However, it is important to understand that we do not all have the same rhythms. For you to maximize the time you have each day, know what time you’re most alert and what time you tend to be unproductive. In my case, I am not too much of a morning person but I do like working from 8 AM to lunch time. Past lunch time is usually the time when I get sleepy, thus, I become unproductive or I tend to function less efficiently. Around 9 PM is when I become fully alert again and that usually lasts until 1-2 AM. It was crucial for me to understand how well I function on the hours of the day as it was indeed useless to plan a study session when you know you won’t be able to focus.

Maintaining a grade point average of 4.0 is no easy task especially when you have extracurricular activities going on for you as well. But with a little hard work, time management, and proper strategy, I assure you, you can do it as well!

Want to know more on how you can manage your school life? Check out All About Senior High at Edukasyon.ph!