How to Balance Research With School and Extracurriculars

The fall of my junior year of high school was probably the busiest time of my life. 5 AP classes, captain of the varsity volleyball team, captain of the robotics team, finalizing my Eagle Scout project, and, of course, researching in a university lab and competing in science fairs. It was a brutal time, and days frequently ended close to midnight with a very exhausted, overly caffeinated Eli collapsing on top of her keyboard whilst trying to finish a homework assignment. And after months of this exhaustion, burnt-out Eli was desperate for better time management skills. 

I am now a rising sophomore in college, and this summer I am taking two summer courses, working as a science fair coach, training for a half-marathon, and running a research startup– all whilst still trying to enjoy the summer and have fun.

The business certainly does not go away, not for us scientists. But what we do get is the incredible ability to time-block and color-code a Google Calendar. So in that spirit, I have compiled a guide for you to stay organized, manage your time, and balance your life so you can work hard, achieve high, and enjoy the little things. 

Find the System You Will Actually Use

This is where all time management skills begin– with how you will manage your time. I started with a paper planner and wrote out all my assignments, tasks, and extracurriculars each day, which worked great for a while. 

However, as I started to be on the road more and in different places for all my different activities, switching to an online app like Google Calendar was a big time saver and much more convenient. It really comes down to personal preference, but choose a calendar or planner that will work well for you and that isn’t a hassle to use, because otherwise, you won’t use it. 

Turn Weekly Planning Into a Game

The greatest thing I ever did to start enjoying my extremely busy life was to start thinking of the week ahead as a big puzzle. Color-code your calendar and make it visually pleasing, and give yourself a little reward after you successfully plan everything. 

Sitting down to schedule tasks and block times at the beginning of each week became less of a chore and more of a game to see how everything fit together. This version of thinking allows you to stack various tasks and get multiple things done at once.

For example, one week I was sitting at my computer and trying to get all the parts of my week figured out. I noticed I would be in a different part of the state for a robotics competition, and one of my good friends lived nearby, so I texted her and asked her to get dinner after the competition happened. This system of viewing the week as fun instead of as work allows you to fit more fun things into your life!

Make Your Time Blocks Stick

Time-blocking is a great idea in theory– but in practice, it can be tricky to dedicate one block of time to a task and not get distracted (especially for those of us who are now trying to get our attention spans back after social media destroyed them). 

My favorite hack for this is to use a timer! As an inherently competitive person, having a timer ticking down while I try to finish the certain task I’ve assigned to the time block is a really helpful way to stay on topic. 

You can also create a reward system for something after you finish your time block. For example, one of my favorites was that I could go out for ice cream after I finished one of my papers for my seminar class, but each time I got distracted, I would have to deduct one of the toppings I normally get. Telling others about your time block and asking them to help keep you accountable is another helpful way to avoid drifting. 

Cut Out the Low Grade Stimulation

There is a lot of research coming out about this right now, and it makes sense. The biggest enemy you face as a busy student is burnout, and the phone in your pocket is working against you. 

The phrase “low-grade stimulation” is just a fancy way of saying that your brain is never bored, and therefore never has time to fully relax. So while you bounce around between tasks, your brain starts to feel more overloaded, and you burn out much faster. 

Avoiding this low-grade stimulation can look like anything: working or driving in silence when you normally listen to music; not scrolling or watching TV while you eat a meal; leaving your phone behind and going for a quiet walk. Any period of time where you fully shut out distractions and just let your brain relax for a little while each day is a great way to avoid burnout.

Protect Your Rest Like It Is Training

You probably clicked this link because you have been struggling to get everything done, and you need better strategies for squeezing as much as possible into your waking hours. But allow me to play the role of an overly concerned parent for a moment: you need your rest! 

As a runner who piles on 30-40 miles every week and also lifts at the gym, the only way for me to prevent injury and fatigue is to rest. Lots of sleep, good nutrition, and staying hydrated help me to perform my best whenever I am training. 

Your brain works in a very similar way. It is a muscle that needs to be taken care of. So instead of pulling an all-nighter, consider the value that you will actually get from editing your AP Lang paper 8 times, and settle for once or twice instead. Prioritizing self-care, sleep, and movement will help you to do everything better and more efficiently, and ensuring you don’t lose out on friendships, family connections, and fun activities will help your brain to continue feeling motivated in your work.

Good Time Management Is a Skill You Build

All in all, good time management is a learned skill, and usually you have to go through some tough periods before you figure out all the strategies that work best for you. But following this guide is a great first step, and I wish you the best of luck in carrying out all your many commitments!

And if you'd like support with your STEM research from a past science fair winner, like me, get in touch with ScienceFair.