Balance: The Life Of A Student Athlete
One of the biggest questions student athletes have when they get to college is: How do I balance my academics and athletics as a college athlete?
Balance is a challenge for everyone in college; the added athletic commitments can make it all the more challenging, so being proactive is essential. Through careful planning and discipline, it is possible to find this balance in time and effort. Through our research, we have found that the most successful student athletes found happiness while achieving both athletically and academically addressed these areas:
Creating a Schedule
Develop a weekly schedule that encompasses all aspects of life; classes, study sessions, practice sessions, and competition schedules. The level of detail will vary from person to person but having an outline of what you have going on and what you need to achieve is the minimum. This visual tool will help identify time commitments and identify available slots for specific tasks, academic, social, or sporting. This tool can be a physical calendar, a basic todo list, or an online calendar; different techniques work for different it is advised to experiment to find what works best for you. Once you can visualize this you can begin to understand how you are spending your time and adjust dependent on your results and priorities.
Prioritizing & Goal Setting
Have a vision of what you want achieve and where you want to be. Once the vision is established you can create a roadmap for how to get there, with smaller goals, processes, and mindset to take you there. Mindset can often get overlooked, but being dedicated to your vision takes a mindset that means you ignore everything else and focus on what you truly want. This is where the challenge is, temptations for the easy option will always be there but having tunnel vision of your goal will make it feel less like making a sacrifice and more like making a conscious choice to remain on the path to your goal. You will develop a discipline to the goal, going beyond motivation. Creating these goals will show you where your priorities lie and you can match actions to those. This will show you where to make sacrifices in your life to find the balance between what you want to experience and what you want to achieve. We want to ensure that these are conscious decision as opposed to in the moment choices based off feeling. Learning what to sacrifice and when can help maintain a positive outlook whilst pursuing excellence in the classroom. The creation of boundaries with yourself and others can be a useful habit. Learn to say no when necessary as to not overcommit yourself to activities or social events that don’t align with your goals. Dedicate yourself to the things that are important to you and let go of things that do not serve, you may feel uncomfortable but doing so will allow you to achieve. This will be a challenge but the joys of success are found on the journey rather than at the destination.
Effective Time Management
Deciding when you are going to get tasks done is meaningless if when the time comes you sit at a blank screen as you find yourself scrolling through instagram for an hour, I’ve been there. This inefficiency is making that meticulously planned schedule pointless. It is not just time not spend as planned but results in added stress and impacting other areas of your life with the time you have to make up. Allocate specific time blocks for studying and stick to them.
Once you have an understanding of the time you need to dedicate to a tasks find the most efficient and effective techniques to help complete the tasks and move on. Whether that is studying for an exam, watching game film, or writing an essay; you must use find what works for you to make that time as useful as possible. Having good intentions will not be enough at college level, if you are a visual learner listening to recordings and podcasts is not a great use of your time. The same as if you are a learn by doing person reading endless pages will not help understand and apply the material. Learn to maximize your time through effective techniques efficiently. Once you have established which habits work for you a consistent routine can be installed to maintain longevity and prolonged success.
While you do want to succeed remember when you are pushing for success, you are still person and have needs, you do want to feel or act like a robot. Learn take breaks, time to enjoy yourself, you have to maintain self-care including adequate sleep, good quality nutrition, and mental health practices. Good healthy lifestyle habits contributes to both academic and athletic performance. Do not ignore yourself in pursuit of other things.
Utilize Support Systems
Take advantage of the resources available on your campus, such as academic advisors, tutors, and athletic support services. These professionals are there to provide guidance and assistance to help navigate challenges students face. College success may be defined by your commitment but it does not mean you have to go it alone, there are people and established practices to help you reach your goals. Do not neglect these thinking they are of no use, try and if they work use them more regularly. The life a student athlete is ever changing and requires adapting, make sure you keep key people informed of changes in your schedule and commitments. Keep open lines of communication with your coaches, professors, and peers as problems arise and changes occur. Inform them of your schedule and any potential conflicts well in advance to get accommodation and assistance. This proactive communication can help establish understanding and support from those around you.
Stay Organized
Keep your study materials, athletic gear, and other essentials organized. Preparations is the foundation of success, so ensuring you are prepared for tasks in advance will reduce stress and ensure that you can efficiently transition between academic and athletic responsibilities. This may come in the form of putting your clothes out the night before or leaving your books open on your desk to begin studying the next day where you left off, or having your bag packed the night before so you can get off to classes as soon as you wake up. Being proactive in your preparation will make it easier to get started and push beyond motivation.
Maximize Downtime
This is should be addressed in both your scheduling and mindset for studying. Making the most of your time doesn’t mean always using conventional or convenient means of study or performance, it requires getting stuff done in the time available. The use of downtime or “dead time” between classes or practices to review notes, complete assignments, or engage in other academic tasks is very beneficial and create time in other parts of your day to other more enjoyable things. This can help you make the most of your time and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
This play into an important attribute; be adaptable and resilient. College life can be unpredictable, and unexpected events may arise. Develop the ability to adjust your plans when needed without compromising your overall goals. Not everything is going to go right, learn to take the set backs in your stride as you continue towards your goals.
Remember that balancing academics and athletics is a skill that you will continue to refine throughout your college career. It's crucial to remain flexible, stay focused on your goals, and seek support when needed.
