Having an internship in high school can be overwhelming, but there are different ways to prevent your academic performance from being affected negatively. The best way to find balance is to manage your time wisely. However, as we all know, this is often easier said than done.
Wondering what it takes to strike the right balance between an internship and your studies? Here’s a breakdown for any high school student who's struggling with multitasking and time management. Even if you aren't doing an internship at the moment, these proven tips will help you balance your various tasks. Without further ado, these are the most helpful tricks I use to balance my internships and schoolwork as a high schooler.
Prepare a vision board
This tip comes in at the top of the list, as it has done wonders for me. Making a board or chart with pictures and reflections of your dream life is the perfect way to remind you that you need to work hard to go a long way. Your vision board will motivate you to do better and make every opportunity count. Whenever there comes a moment where I feel like I should give up on my internships, I get a reminder of all I want to do and be.
Related: Discover Three Easy Ways to Pursue Your Passions in High School
Have a to-do list or daily planner
With people who are multitaskers, their list of work is often greater than the capacity of tasks their brain can handle (I know from personal experience). Making to-do lists helps you keep focused on important tasks and reminds you of all the productivity your day can hold. A planner is highly efficient when it comes to prioritizing your work and deciding whether you should read the English chapter first or write that email to your manager.
Don’t let your work pile up
This advice is something we hear all the time but never bother to follow. Name someone you know who actually follows this. If you can, it’s likely they might be running a more successful venture while we’re here sitting and thinking, “Why is there so much work to do?”
The easiest approaches to this are to never miss your classes and to complete the tasks assigned at your internship as soon as possible. If you get behind, things will start to get overwhelming, and your heap of tasks will seem never-ending. This is where your daily planner really comes in handy!
Related: Learn Four Techniques to Improve Your Time Management
Invest a little more time toward your studies
You may be thinking, “This definitely will not benefit me in striking a good school-work balance,” but hear me out. The subjects you’re studying and the knowledge you’re grasping will help you significantly in your internship. Whether it’s a writing job or working as a mechanic, you learn the basics from your schooling.
Let's say you’re investing five hours of your day to your education and three hours to your internship, but those hours won’t compensate for all the homework and studying you need to do. Remember the previous tip? Don’t let it pile up. Instead, spend a total of seven hours on school, if you can manage it. You will see how better this schedule becomes over time.
Say no to procrastination
The biggest enemy of any student is procrastination. You may be a bright student who drips talent, but this evil can destroy your time management skills in seconds. Being prey to procrastination myself, I know it gets harder to avoid the work stress, and then everything is accompanied by guilt.
Make it a habit to complete your work as soon as you can—not after watching one more episode of that Netflix series. Complete the task first and then take all the time you want to rest once it’s done, because rest is important too. Try doing one task at a time, and always start with your school tasks so you can give ample time to your internship without having to worry about unfinished homework.
Related: Check out the Top 10 Ways to Avoid Procrastination
These steps might sound impossible right now if you’re already stressed, but as a student, I can assure you that enforcing these habits for at least 21 days will lead you to building them into a natural practice. Make sure you follow these tips and accompany them with some other important elements such as a proper sleep schedule, healthy diet, and time to relax. When blended the right way, this formula opens the gates to the magic of a balanced student life—one where you’ll have no stress over studies and internships or doubting your talent.
Remember: It’s normal to feel overwhelmed while doing a lot at once, but it’s the ripe fruit of a successful and content life we are chasing. Do what makes you happy and proud, and gradually, you will find your balance.
