As a teenager, life can often feel relentlessly busy.Rigorous academics are demanding alongside extracurricular activities that often require significant amounts of time and dedication. While these experiences can be enjoyable and rewarding, other times, they can feel consuming. At Poly Prep, many students express that they struggle to find ways to create sufficient time in their busy schedule for friends, free time, and hobbies. According to studies based on stress and time management, high schoolers who actively plan out their time show an improved academic performance. This reinforces the time that is needed to be spent on just planning out your schedule and work.
Eden Golomb ’26 has been involved in various arts programs for many years. Since just two years old, she has participated in dance recitals and clubs outside of Poly, and in eighth grade, she began working to grow as a dancer through classes Poly offers. However, with an extracurricular so demanding, she first expressed how she has to stay organized in order to have a healthy relationship with her studies. “A healthy balance can almost be impossible to maintain all the time,” she said. She added “oftentimes, I need to take a step back to re-organize my schedule and figure out what I need to get done.” One of the most effective strategies
Golomb mentioned is learning how to balance time intentionally, and plan strategically. “I like to draw out my schedule over the week on a piece of paper, and write down the work I have to complete each day,” Golomb said. After having dance almost every night and long shows on the weekend Golomb has gotten familiar with this routine, and to plan for assignments. “I like to use something called Stickies on the Mac-
Book homescreen. I have three, one for my homework, one for bigger assignments and tests and one for any miscellaneous things,” she said. For her, these are an effective strategy for completing school tasks because “whenever I open my computer I am reminded of all the work I need to get done,” as she put it. Although it may be overwhelming, the main thing Golomb encourages, for a stress – free work environment, is to just “keep yourself accountable for your work.”
Anna Brandmeyer ’26 is a member of the Girl’s Varsity Soccer team and the President of Poly’s Upper School. Brandmeyer’s Upper School experience has been filled with extracurricular activities, advanced classes and everything in between, causing her schedule to constantly be filled with “to-do” lists. That said, in order to find a place to decompress and receive some motivation, she has relied on athletics. “Soccer has always been such a great outlet for me to take my mind off of work and disconnect for a bit to reset from my work has always been so helpful for me,” she said. Aside from sports, Student Government opened up an opportunity for her to represent her peers by doing something she loves. Alongside being a leader, Brandmeyer shared that “student government made me a lot more comfortable and confident. It allowed me to make even more cross grade relationships and become more familiar with the faculty and administration.” She continued, “Building those bonds made me feel like I had more of a voice and that made me feel even more a part of the Poly community in a great way.”
Charlotte Kuchinad ’26 recommends that for students with busy schedules like hers, the best way to balance your work is to “use all your free time in school to complete school work. So after school when you want to hang out with your friends, or play a sport, you have time to do so.” In addition to being part of the Girls Varsity soccer team, after school, Kuchinad also works at Downtown Yogurt, a popular New York City frozen yogurt shop, making her afternoons typically busy. “Because of everything after school I have learned to really utilize my free periods and to study and give myself occasional breaks,” Kuchinad said. According to Cornell Health, taking study breaks can actually make you study harder. They suggest that “taking purposeful breaks anywhere from five to 60minutes refreshes your brain and body while increasing your energy, productivity and ability to focus.” Another aspect Kuchinad suggested was “wanting to do well and having confidence in yourself .” She recommends truly believing in yourself because “it can increase your self-esteem and keep you more motivated when completing work.” While dealing with many extracurriculars, Kuchinad also has to think about the grade factor of school. In terms of grades Kuchinad shared, “you have to really know yourself, for example if you are taking really advanced level courses, a good grade in each class can mean something different for everyone.”
Balancing a busy schedule is not about doing everything correctly but rather finding things that work for you. Golomb, Kuchinad and Brandmeyer all have their own tips and tricks they like to do when handling assignments. Whether it’s staying organized, making time to reset or using free time wisely, they have all found at least one method that has worked for them and so can you!
