Dear Little Ms. Know it all,

With the start of a new school year I’m having a hard time with friends, and classes and extracurriculars and a job and just balancing everything. I’m already falling behind in school because I’m working and trying to have a social life at the same time. It is starting to feel very overwhelming and stressful and it’s not even six weeks in yet. I’m getting worried that I won’t be able to handle it and that I’m going to have to give something up, but I like everything that I’m participating in not to mention colleges are looking for sports and extracurriculars and perfect grades. I don’t know how to juggle everything and I need some advice.

– Overwhelmed

Dear Overwhelmed,

I know that getting back into school and the swing of things can be a challenge. Here are some things to keep in mind. From what I gather you have school and homework, plus a job, plus clubs/ sports, and you want to be able to spend time with friends and family. That’s a lot. My advice would be to first, maximize your time. Any off periods you have,  lunch or free time in classes, use that to get homework done; the less homework you bring home the happier your life will be. Also consider cutting back your hours at work that way you allow more time for other things. If cutting back your hours isn’t an option than I would advise you to talk to your manager about trying to schedule most of your hours on weekends instead of weeknights.

Clubs and sports are always time-consuming no matter what; that is the kind of activity that doesn’t have a ton of flexibility. That being said I would say that communicating to club sponsors or coaches is necessary that way they know all the things going on in your life. Communication is your new best friend.

Also, remember to keep your teachers in the loop. Your teachers are not here to make your life difficult. They just want to make sure you are learning the material. Teachers aren’t looking to see if they can make you fail, they’re trying to help you succeed. With that said, talk to them! Ask for extensions or just let them know “hey I have work and a football game this week so I might fall a little behind on the reading”. They just want to know that you care about the class and that it is still on your list of priorities.

My last bit of advice for you would be don’t stretch yourself too thin because otherwise all the things you are involved in might question if you care. If you have to go with less activities go deep into those. Colleges will still be interested in you even if you have less, but you are super involved in those few things. Also don’t forget to make time for friends and family being happy and having people in your life that you can always go to and talk to is still super important. Don’t sacrifice your relationships to look perfect on paper. It’s all about balance and I know you can do it.

-Little Ms. Know it all