Joining my high school swim team was the best decision I could have made. It also upended how I handled my routine. I noticed my teammates struggling to keep up with their hobbies, homework and friends as well, so we tackled the problem together. Learning how we found a better balance could help you juggle similar responsibilities or even manage your new college life once you leave high school.

1. Use a Planner

When I started my first class as a high school freshman, I typically wrote my homework on the back of my hand. I didn't feel stressed about keeping up with everything until swim practices started. I couldn’t find time for studying or a way to sort through my assignments.

I asked my mom to drive me to an office supply store that same first month of school. My sparkly planner had monthly layouts where I tracked everything from homework to swim meets. The habit transformed how I viewed my responsibilities and even motivated me to take charge of my routine.

Students who are better at time management typically depend less on their phones for entertainment because they’re busy. If you’re like me and failed your New Year’s resolution to reduce your screen time, that experience could motivate you to get a planner.

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2. Add Relaxation to Your Schedule

My version of a trip to the spa for these last four years of high school was sitting on my back porch, scrolling through TikTok. When my routine got hectic with swim team responsibilities, I literally penciled relaxation time into my planner.

Consider what helps you reset. If you reserve some time for it every day, you’ll get in the habit of prioritizing the rest our brains and bodies need. My athletic performance improved when I got more relaxation, and so did my energy levels during exam periods.

3. Visit Your Trainer

If your school has a trainer on staff, make appointments with them. I’m not kidding when I say those visits made me a better swimmer and kept me more comfortable during the school day. They taught me how to stretch sore muscles to prevent potential injuries, which gave me more fluid movements in the pool.

Our trainer also helped me learn to catch when I overwork myself. When I started having shoulder pain, they mentioned it could be a repetitive stress injury that needed a physical medicine and rehabilitation doctor to help. Without their advice to see a physiatrist, I might have gotten the dreaded swimmer’s shoulder and not learned how to take better care of my joints and muscles.

4. Study on Your Phone

Some days won’t go according to plan. Practice will run late, your bus driver will call out sick or you’ll have more homework than expected. Our planners can only do so much, so I always recommend a backup study method. When you feel crunched for time, you can use a flashcard app to stay on top of your classes.

I’ve also loved using index cards to memorize things for classes, so I keep them in my backpack. Still, study apps with flashcards are invaluable. I can flip through my notes from my hardest classes and stress less about upcoming exams during my busiest days.

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5. Start With Breakfast

Eating a good breakfast every morning is important for everyone, but student athletes need more fuel than most. I can’t throw myself completely into morning swim practices if my system’s only running on an iced white mocha from Starbucks.

The secret to having breakfast each day is prepping your meals. I love snacking on homemade McGriddles — which get me 26 grams of protein per serving — during drives to practices. They keep me satisfied even when I push myself extra hard.

I also have snack baggies ready to throw in my backpack as I leave home. If my metabolism burns through breakfast faster than usual, I can grab my backup carrots and crackers to support my post-practice recovery.

6. Prioritize Flex Time

I wish someone had told me about flex time earlier in my high school experience. Instead of scheduling my days to the minute, I leave at least 10 minutes of wiggle room every hour. When that’s impossible, I aim for 45-minute blocks in the mornings and afternoons. If I’m struggling with a homework assignment and need more time, I don’t worry about it throwing off the rest of my day.

The biggest benefit of flex time is that it supports your mental health. We feel better when we stress less. Instead of trying to either freestyle our lives as student athletes or plan every moment of our routine, practicing more scheduling flexibility can keep our anxiety levels down.

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7. Save Weekends for Loved Ones

I used to have a bad habit of spending weekends catching up on things I missed during the week. We’ve all spent those Sunday afternoons cramming for a quiz or writing the paper for that extension we got on Friday. I ended up feeling burnt out. There was no opportunity to relax between swim team responsibilities, school and extracurriculars.

Now, I reserve my weekends for my favorite people. If I need to do school work or have a swim meet, I still find small ways to hang out with friends and family. Socializing can reduce your depression symptoms because you’ll feel supported, loved and less alone. Once I’m laughing over milkshakes with my best friends or talking to family during dinner, it’s easier to remember that life is so much bigger than grades or placing in swim meets.

Being a student athlete can be tough. Between practice, homework, family and friends, getting to all your obligations can feel like a balancing act. However, I hope some of the ways I manage my schedule can help you tackle yours.