Letter to the Editor

Originally published on February 3, 2016

Dear Lowell,

Some word of advice for people struggling with time management: prioritizing is key. And by prioritizing, I mean setting certain aspects of your life higher than others. Whether that be schoolwork, family and friends, after-school jobs― anything. Being overwhelmed by things in your life and eventually procrastinating doesn’t work well, but organizing yourself is.

And I don’t mean having others set priorities in your life, but what you think is most important for you. If you want to spend half your afternoon chilling at Stonestown with your friends and you think it is the best use of your time, fine, do it. But if your friends are telling you to hang out with them, but you think that test tomorrow is more important, don’t be afraid to be honest. If they are your friends, they’ll understand. Heck, they might even join you for a study session!

If that club is taking up all of your Tuesdays, when you clearly aren’t benefitting from it at all, don’t feel guilty for skipping one or two weeks to try other things. Find out what works for you, and see how far you can push yourself. It’s a matter of choosing certain things to put on your plate, not allowing things to pile up without you noticing.

I’m in a good place right now because I’ve learned that setting things aside doesn’t mean ignoring them completely; it means that I know what’s best for me at that moment and that I can accept my own limits and abilities. Though it takes a certain level of self control, I’ve balanced clubs, a part-time job, AP classes, and friendships throughout junior year using this strategy, and it has worked wonders. So try it sometime: prioritize yourself. You never know what could happen.

Juliana Mak, Senior (reg 1605)