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“everything in moderation, including moderation”
- Oscar Wilde
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Parties, movies, concerts, sports, vacations, friends houses. All of these things sound pretty fun don’t they? They are some of the more fun things you’ll do during your time in high school and college and beyond. However if you want to be successful you’ll have to learn to balance these activities along with your school life. This is something that for a lot of teenagers is very hard to do. Especially at an earlier age when you are still getting used to high school and the change that comes along with it. Higher expectations, more work, and what feels like a lot less time to accomplish it all. But believe it or not it is actually possible. Now why is this important? Without this balance it is very easy for students to fall completely off without the organization to help you get there.
Organization is a huge part of this balance of the need for structure especially at an early age. For some it can come sooner rather than later or vice versa. Take me for example. As a senior in high school it still may not be what I’m best at but I sure can say it’s improved. During my freshmen and sophomore years I had not been great at bringing that balance into my life. Instead of being able to do both at the same time i completely fell to the social side without really recognizing the academic side at all. Movies instead of homework, hanging out with friends instead of studying for tests, it wasn’t an effective way to get things and and be proficient. I had no structure, no organization, no time management. Report cards later became evidence of this. Social life had taken the front seat. An Irish writer once said “everything in moderation, including moderation” - Oscar Wilde, meaning that everything you do should have a limit to it including putting limits on things. We as people are made to decide what those limits are and where they will be placed. In this case the limits on life outside of school should be increased in order to make sure the academic side gets some time of it’s own. Not too much, because that can be overwhelming, but an equal amount. Which is why this is so difficult.
Here’s some ideas on how to help. There is a big week in school and you have three essays due throughout the week. Your friends want you to come to a concert downtown on Wednesday night and a party on Friday night. You want to go to both but you know that there is a paper due the day after the concert and if you went you wouldn’t be able to finish in time. You’re going to have to tell your friends that you’re staying home but you’ll hang out at the party on Friday. They’re a little frustrated but this paper is a big part of your grade and you have to sacrifice at least one night out with your friends in order to get it done. Sacrifices are a huge part of finding this balance and you undoubtedly will have to make them in order to find it. But in the end you will be able to do a little bit of both and satisfy both the needs and wants in your life. You have to do what you need to do, in order to do what you want to do. Learning to have this attitude and organization is key to your success.
Written by Daniel McNatt
Organization is a huge part of this balance of the need for structure especially at an early age. For some it can come sooner rather than later or vice versa. Take me for example. As a senior in high school it still may not be what I’m best at but I sure can say it’s improved. During my freshmen and sophomore years I had not been great at bringing that balance into my life. Instead of being able to do both at the same time i completely fell to the social side without really recognizing the academic side at all. Movies instead of homework, hanging out with friends instead of studying for tests, it wasn’t an effective way to get things and and be proficient. I had no structure, no organization, no time management. Report cards later became evidence of this. Social life had taken the front seat. An Irish writer once said “everything in moderation, including moderation” - Oscar Wilde, meaning that everything you do should have a limit to it including putting limits on things. We as people are made to decide what those limits are and where they will be placed. In this case the limits on life outside of school should be increased in order to make sure the academic side gets some time of it’s own. Not too much, because that can be overwhelming, but an equal amount. Which is why this is so difficult.
Here’s some ideas on how to help. There is a big week in school and you have three essays due throughout the week. Your friends want you to come to a concert downtown on Wednesday night and a party on Friday night. You want to go to both but you know that there is a paper due the day after the concert and if you went you wouldn’t be able to finish in time. You’re going to have to tell your friends that you’re staying home but you’ll hang out at the party on Friday. They’re a little frustrated but this paper is a big part of your grade and you have to sacrifice at least one night out with your friends in order to get it done. Sacrifices are a huge part of finding this balance and you undoubtedly will have to make them in order to find it. But in the end you will be able to do a little bit of both and satisfy both the needs and wants in your life. You have to do what you need to do, in order to do what you want to do. Learning to have this attitude and organization is key to your success.
Written by Daniel McNatt