How to Balance School and Social Life | Student’s Guide

Struggling to keep up with the school and social life? Well, you’re not alone in this. At some point in school life, we all struggle to keep a balance between school and social life. You must have heard that “Life is all about balance” and it’s absolutely correct.

What would you choose between top grades and friendships? But the really question is, do you really need to choose? Why can’t you excel in both. With the right strategy and mindset, you can strike a good balance between your academics and social life.

This is one of the most common problem student’s face and here we are with a solution. Read this guide to understand how you can manage both school and social life with ease. So let’s get started!

Why Should I Even Balance?

Let’s understand why the balance matters. You must be wondering, why can’t i just focus on academics or why can’t i just focus on my friends? Both are important for your well being and this is why you should strike a balance between them.

Life is not just limited to academics and similarly life is not just limited to social life. In order to have a satisfied successful life, you need to balance different areas of life whether it’s personal, professional, or academics, etc.

This is what a good balance does to you:

• A balance is important so you won’t feel burnout and emotional fatigue.
• A good balance keep your mental health and personal relationships solid.
• You feel more aware of your surroundings, you manage time well, and there is an increase in productivity.

Following are the Signs that you’re out of balance

• If you are constantly missing out on academic deadlines or social events then there is a high probability that you’re out of balance and you need to work on it.
• The feeling of overly stresses and being isolated is another sign
• May be you’re avoiding social life our of guilt or may be overcommitting to events out of FOMO
• Poor academic performance, lack of sleep, etc could be signs as well.

If you find yourself in a situation where you feel like you’re out of balance then the first step is to acknowledge or address it and then works toward improving it.

Practical Tips to Balance School and Social Life

Like all of you, I’ve struggled keeping up with school and social life. Here is what I did to strike a balance between them.

Use a Weekly Planner

Start using a weekly planner. If you’re using a monthly planner then consider switching to weekly and see how well it works for you.

The whole point of using a planner is to plan and organize.

• Use a weekly planner to plan for classes, tests, assignments, etc.
• Allocate time to social activities such as hangouts, clubs, or downtime

We do this mistake of overcommitting, when you have a written weekly planner in front of you then you’re most likely to make wise decisions and plan smartly.

You can download free weekly planners here

Learn to Prioritize

I don’t have words to emphasize on the importance of Prioritizing. Master the skill of prioritizing things, this is a life skill that will help you throughout.

• It is important to understand that not every event or invite needs a “yes”. You have to say “No” to things which are not important.
• Do keep a check on your academic deadlines and plan social time accordingly.

Social time can take a little backseat when you have an important academic deadline to meet. And similarly, not so important academic work can take a backseat when you have an important social event to attend.

Combine Academics and Social Time

This is a smart way to do both.

• You can plan a study session with your friends.
• Attend school clubs, sports, or group projects that are both fun and productive

In group study sessions there is a high chances of getting distracted towards fun activities, so you need to ensure there is a balance between academic study and fun.

What you can do is allocate a fixed time for both academics and fun. Give preference to academics, finish it first and then jump on to the fun activities.

Plan Breaks and take them Without Guilt

Plan breaks in between academics in order to prevent burnout.

Small breaks such as a walk, or a coffee with friend can actually boost energy and focus.

I always say, “too much of anything is always bad” and academics is no exception. A good schedule is the one where you have time for academics, friends, and family.

Review your weekly planner and Adjust if needed

Sunday evening is the perfect time to review how your week went. If you see there is a room for improvement then make changes accordingly.

The whole point of using a planner is to plan better, find mistakes and get better with time. Adjust schedules, cut back, or make room for fun when needed

Mistake #1: Overcommitting Socially

Do not overcommit, this is the most common mistake that we do and often end up missing on important academic work or tasks.

You should know when to say No. I mean you can’t say yes to attend a social events before a big exam, so learn to prioritize.

Mistake #2: Procrastinating then panicking

Procrastination is one of the worst thing you can do to yourself. Never let Procrastination becomes a habit.

You can use the Pomodoro technique to tackle procrastination

This is how it works:

• Choose a task you want to work on.
• Set a Timer for 25 Minutes and do the work for 25 minutes with full focus. Stay fully focused until the timer rings.
• Take a Short Break (5 Minutes). During the break, you can step away, stretch, or grab a snack.
• This 25 minute focused work session and a short 5 minute break is called “One Pomodoro”
• Repeat “Four Pomodoro” and take a longer break (15–30 minutes).

This strategy is popular among students, writers, etc.

Final Words

With proper strategy and mindset, you can easily manage both academics and social life. Managing school and social life is no rocket science, you just need a system and stick to it. School doesn’t have to come at the cost of friendships and fun.

We’ve already shared a lot of practical information that will help you strike a balance between school and social life. Do try this system and let us know in the comments how well it worked for you. If you have another tips or strategies to share then please share and help students.