People of all ages have routines. For young children, these routines are usually set by their parents or other caregivers. As they grow up, they have increasing amounts of responsibility for organizing their own lives. For some people, maintaining a balance between work or school and everyday life can be a challenge as they take on new responsibilities and try to manage the old ones. Are you already feeling pressured by all of the things you have to do? You might not be able to eliminate the stress from your life, but you can learn to balance your school work with the rest of your life.

Are you the kind of person who likes to be busy all the time? Do you fill your after-school hours with as many activities as you can manage? Or are you the kind of person who likes to have a lot of free time? Either way, you might have a hard time (or an easy time) finding a balance between school and the rest of your life. You might feel stressed and overwhelmed to the point where you think that you can no longer manage. When that happens, what do you do?

Almost everyone feels stressed at some point. For people who love to keep themselves busy with all kinds of projects, it might be when they take on too much to handle effectively. For people who try to avoid stress, it could be when an unexpected task cuts into their precious free time. Everyone is different. Knowing your limits is the first step towards living a balanced life. Do you work well under pressure? If so, you might be able to take on a lot of activities outside school. On the other hand, does pressure cause you to crumble under it? If so, you should limit your after-school activities and give yourself enough free time to relax.

Part of understanding your limits is learning how to use your time efficiently. For example, what do you do if you your teacher gives you class time to finish your work? Do you try to finish your assignment or do you spend the time doing something else? Doing as much work as possible at school will help you keep more time free in the evenings and on weekends. If you help with an after-school project, do you go to the meetings with all of the supplies you need? How much time could you save by being prepared for all of your activities? You can even use the time you spend in line or waiting for your friends at the mall to plan an assignment or to write down a schedule of activities for yourself.

Even when they schedule their time efficiently, people can have trouble balancing work and the rest of life. However, you can still try. Find out what you have to do to keep yourself healthy and happy and then work from there. That way, you have a good chance of managing both school and everyday life.