Finding Balance as a Busy Student
SaveThis article discusses why building out a proper action plan is necessary to maintain balance in your life while maximizing unrealized potential.
By Carter Thompson — June 24, 2025
"Balance" is a word often found circulating in the self-help realm of modern advice. Many seek balance when they feel they don't have it but desire to continue to push and reach for their full potential in a fulfilled manner. Seeking to improve in any given area and reach further than before requires doing something new. Whether this is earning a great grade on a big exam, progressing further in sports, or being accepted into All-State band, choir, show choir, etc., such accomplishments require new levels of effort and sacrifice. Building out a proper action plan is necessary to maintain a level of balance in your life while maximizing unrealized potential without becoming overwhelming and falling out of balance.
Scheduling
The first way to ensure you avoid burnout while still eating, sleeping, studying, working, training, rehearsing, etc., is by building out a robust schedule. Make a spreadsheet schedule blocked out into 30-minute increments that represent all the typical hours of your week. Enter all the nonnegotiable tasks of each day you must complete. After blocking off classes, practices, rehearsals, wake-up time, meals, etc. you can see all the openings in your typical daily/weekly schedule where you can squeeze in time to study, practice, recover, etc. to reach your next big goal. Carefully planning out, managing, and balancing your time is the first key to success in making your ambitions and aspirations reality.
Recovery
Another way to avoid burnout is by leaving adequate time to recover your mind, body, and spirit. Whether that's a nap, prayer, meditation, mindfulness, leisure reading, etc., making sure you have built-in breaks in your busy schedule is essential. Though it might seem counterintuitive, the greatest thing you can do for yourself is nothing at all sometimes, just rest. When you're giving everything you have towards your goals, it can leave you feeling very drained. This is when you need to ask yourself if your actions represent a short-term (unsustainable) or long-term (sustainable) approach to reaching your goals. Studying six extra hours a day with five hours of sleep might work for a week or two, but after that, you'll surely be drained and less productive than at the start. The saying "I'll sleep when I'm dead" is not a sustainable approach to living a vibrant, fulfilled, balanced life. Scheduling adequate time to rest and recover is essential to balancing out the intense endeavors you pursue each day.
Self-Care
The broader objective behind the importance of recovery lies in proper self-care. Rest and recovery help to prepare your body and mind for the hours you spend focusing on your goals, but many other ways to care for yourself exist, too. One such way, nutrition, can aid your mind and body with a high-quality assortment of fruits, vegetables, meats, whole grains, nuts, etc. that allow your body to function at its highest level. Make sure you're consuming enough fluids to stay hydrated while minimizing caffeinated and sugary beverages to the best of your ability. Build strong relationships by spending quality time with those you care about.
Additionally, don't forget to spend quality time alone by yourself where you invite in boredom, enjoy the moment, and think for yourself. Spend time exploring the world around you, Don't be afraid to treat yourself to a nice dinner, a hike in the woods, or some treat of your choosing. Growing and balancing a healthy relationship with yourself and those around you is a massive step in the direction of becoming the most capable individual you can be.
Balance for Student-Athletes
For those like me who have ambitious athletic goals, the term "balance" can seem like a joke. As a high schooler, my swim season was ~3 months long with five practices per week. Now as a D3 swimmer, everything has doubled to ten practices a week and a six-month-long season. My commitment to the team stretches it to a four-year season through my dedication to reaching my full potential by staying in shape year-round while cultivating strong connections with my teammates.
Finding balance in this schedule can seem impossible due to a lack of energy since there are no days off in the season. Even if you have Sundays off to rest, they're spent getting a rare eight to nine hours of sleep, followed by hours of homework from the previous or upcoming week. It all comes down to time management and questioning what you're willing to sacrifice for the accomplishment of your goals. Being out of balance hurts, so choose your additional commitments wisely. Practice saying -no- to unnecessary commitments, and even work to trim your existing commitments down to only those that you serve in the best. You cannot thrive if you're just trying to survive, so dwe college athletes must think critically about the commitments we make so we don't overcommit ourselves to an unsustainable schedule set on a crash course to burnout.
If you have a proper smart goal set for yourself that's both attainable and scares you, then you likely already know the steps to get there. The trick is enjoying the process on the way to becoming the best version of yourself. Building out a realistic schedule, prioritizing downtime, taking time to replenish your mind, body, and soul, avoiding overcommitting yourself, etc. are all great concepts to instill balance among the ambitious endeavors you're undertaking. Growing and becoming a better person can be a painful, gruesome process, or it can be a beautiful, uplifting process. It's up to you to decide not just where you're going to go, but how you're going to get there. The question is: will you enjoy it?
Carter Thompson
Carter is currently seeking his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science under the Pre-Physical Therapy Program at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. He will go on to complete his Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree at an accredited university with the end goal of applying industry-leading recovery treatments as a Physical Therapist for either Division I or professional athletic teams.Articles & Advice
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