High School students at The Columbus School prepare for another day of academics, extracurriculars, and social pressures. The importance of balance becomes a daily struggle, highlighting the urgent need for effective stress and time management strategies. 

In the high school world, students face multiple challenges, such as academic rigor, demanding sports, school activities, or other time-consuming tasks. Therefore, teenagers may suffer from excessive stress and can feel challenged to balance all their tasks, especially in their senior year when college applications are also due. As a result, time management strategies become vital for going through these situations. 

“Time management skills are crucial for balancing academics, sports, and personal time. If you can do this, you’ll expand your productivity levels, and gain time for resting,” Senior Emilia Echavarria said.

Echavarria emphasizes the importance of time management skills in a student’s life, as it is it allows them to be more productive across various aspects of their lives while securing valuable time for rest. Likewise, when teenagers master this skill they’ll find a harmonious balance between their daily tasks, focusing not only on school but on hobbies and personal passions. Additionally, stress and time management are directly related, since poor effectiveness leads to anxiety. As all the work accumulates into an exhausting pile, it makes it seem impossible to finish everything on time. 

“Learning to manage my time effectively has been a tough task because I often procrastinate my homework until the due date, and suddenly I have a million things to do and get anything accomplished,” Senior Mariana Gómezsaid.

Gómez shares her struggle with time management, a common challenge among students. This is a dangerous issue as it creates an unhealthy cycle of delaying tasks and soon becomes a source of frustration and accumulated responsibilities. Procrastination leads to other concerns such as increased stress levels, lower quality of work, missed deadlines, and most importantly; a negative impact on one’s mental health. 

“It’s like a cycle of stress and guilt that keeps spinning, making me feel overwhelmed and anxious about not being able to catch up. This affects not only my schoolwork but also my happiness,” Gómez said.

Gómez highlights the profound effect that procrastination and time mismanagement can have on one’s mental well-being. As the cycle increases, it gets worse and uncontrollable, suddenly impacting most aspects of an individual’s life. Nevertheless, some students can manage time and stress wonderfully, having a great influence on the overall success of their academic community, inspiring others to adopt healthier habits and achieve greater balance in their lives.

“Having an organized schedule definitely made a difference in me, now I have time to practice hobbies and do many things during the day. I’m able to go to sleep early and be active during the whole day,” Senior Maria del Mar Álvarez said.

Álvarez, as one of TOM’s and GIN’s leaders, has a truly complex agenda. Through her careful planning, she has unlocked the ability to engage in a variety of activities, exploring new interests and commitments, despite having significant responsibilities. Additionally, this shift not only allows her to enrich his experiences but also contributes to a healthier lifestyle, proven by her ability to sleep early. 

“I would recommend the students to break down my tasks into smaller, manageable chunks and set clear priorities, I’ve found that with this strategy, I’m getting through my to-do list more efficiently,” Álvarez said.

By advising peers to break down larger tasks into smaller ones, Álvarez highlights a method that can transform an exhausting workload into a series of achievable steps. As a result, students will gain a more organized, strategic method of working that enhances efficiency and productivity.

“Mastering time is about making every moment count. When we learn to divide our tasks and set clear priorities, we build a life where success and well-being fulfill a balanced journey,” Echavarria said.