Driving around from school to sports practice or a club meeting to a job, finally getting home and still having to do homework due the next day, students’ lives are certainly filled with what seems like a thousand tasks to accomplish. The cliche of too much to do, too little time definitely rings true in a high school setting.

While being involved in extracurricular activities and having a job is positive, there are times when it can also turn bad. Many students involved in multiple activities at once and many times they are spreading themselves too thin.

What people do not realize, though, is that sometimes they need to draw the line and figure out when enough is enough. Prioritizing is a very important skill that students need due to the multitude of activities and responsibilities that consume their lives. It is a skill that will be necessary throughout their future as well.

Learning how to prioritize may not seem so easy since, when it comes down to it, no one wants to disappoint any of the people that are a part of their lives. Letting a person down because someone cannot get their work done is a path that many do not want to follow. Sometimes it is necessary to say no to those people when there is work to be done.School should always come first; whether it be before sports, clubs or a job, it comes first.

A number of times when someone works late or has a game a few hours away, homework does not seem to be a very high priority when they get home. So, instead of the math homework that is due the next day or studying for the English test, they go to sleep as soon as they get home.

That homework that did not get done, at the time, may not seem so bad. But the missing assignments start

to pile up and grades go down. It feels like there is no time and a student is left feeling overwhelmed and stressed out as they continue to try and do make up work and the homework due the next day. According to a study that was done in Baltimore, 68 percent of teenagers were stressed out by school work. That is over half the students, and it does not include any of the extracurricular activities they are involved in.

Prioritizing and time management can solve all of these problems. Learning to leave time to do assignments and studying everyday seems really simple, but it seems to be more difficult than many think. It really does help though because it could save anyone from a late night of homework and zero sleep.

For example, if someone has a job then he or she should set their schedule so that they cannot work past eight on school nights. That way they can get home and still have a few hours to do homework before going to sleep. Not only are the assignments completed, but the student will not be up extremely late trying to finish them.

The best way to stop the stress from building up because there is so much going on is learning limits. Everyone has limitations and people need to know when enough really is enough. Do not work late if there is a pile of homework waiting at home to be done. Do as much homework as possible before a practice or a game depending on the time available. Finding time to complete school work is most important.

In the end, it is okay to tell someone that you are not available due to a project or other school assignments that have to be completed for the next day. They can find someone else to help them. Remembering that grades are more important and not the extracurricular activities that are planned for the week will give the chance to not be stressed out over the little things that should not be stressful.