Remember: You're still a teenager

- 3 steps to better balance IB and your social life -

Hey IB Kidlets!

I wanted to do a quick post on possibly one of the most difficult balancing acts you’ll face – how to simultaneously be consistent and on top of your IB workload and maintain a stress-free social life. Simply just by doing IB, you’re obviously a driven, focused young person who wants to push themselves. This is amazing, but what we sometimes forget, is that seeing friends and having fun is equally as important as maintaining good grades and staying on top of work. So here’s a few tips to help you structure your time in order to stay balanced and not burn out. As an IB student I’m still working on this balance, and will probably never fully nail it, but … that said, there’s no harm in trying, right? If you can practice being conscious of both your study and social needs, you’re taking a step towards truly enjoying all aspects of the next two years!

1. Be realistic

With the ever-growing to-do list that is the IB diploma, you’ll find yourself inclined to set unrealistic goals for yourself. In setting a long list of tasks to get done in a day, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. None of us is perfect, and you don’t need to be completely composed 100% of the time.

What you’ll find more productive is to set a list of 2-3 tasks for any one period of time. This way, you’ll be able to spend a good, productive block of time getting work done without becoming overwhelmed by the list of tasks you need to complete.

If you have a big Internal Assessment or assignment to complete, don’t expect yourself to finish it in one sitting. We all know the urge to complete something once we’ve started, but honestly, if you can sit down and smash out a paragraph or two in an hour, this is much more productive than spending 3-4 hours paining yourself over completing it.

2. Divide your time

Weekends are an extremely valuable time as an IB student. But in no way does this mean you should be spending every waking minute studying or completing assignments. I’ve found that in order to get work done while not stressing yourself out, there should be three prominent components to your weekend: work, rest, reward.

Work – divide your days into 3 blocks (morning, afternoon, night – or however you see fit) and make sure there is an adequate amount of time between these blocks for rest. Assign 1-2 of these blocks to studying depending on how much work you have that weekend.

Rest – the time in-between the blocks of study (1hr recommended) should be dedicated to rest or other recreational activities. It is important to do things with your family or by yourself which do not involve school work. During these times, try your best not to think about schoolwork, as this will become a source of stress at a time which should be purely recreational.

Reward – as much as we tend to forget it at times, we are still teenagers and going out with friends to get food, or going to parties, is a really important part of our lives. Make sure one of the blocks of time each day of the weekend is dedicated to social time. Whether it be grabbing dinner, catching a movie, attending an event or even just chilling out with friends, this will be your saving grace!!

In terms of the blocks of time, there is no need to actually schedule these hours (as it might seem like overkill), however, just keep a rough outline of the day and these elements in mind to feel both productive and rested!

3. Say yes to invitations

Picture this, it’s Saturday afternoon and you’re studying for a chapter test in one of your classes on Monday, and a notification pops up on your phone – it’s a friend inviting you to get dinner. You’re first instinct will probably be to say no, given that you have to study for this upcoming test. But I urge you, SAY YES! There is only so much time you can spend studying before it becomes unproductive and you turn zombie-like and stop absorbing information. Taking a break to go out with a friend is just what you need! Trust me. A lot of the time when I go out, I end up feeling study-remorse (ie. Feeling guilty that I’m not studying), this feeling will end up affecting your time with your friends. To combat this, try to recognize the work you have completed and appreciate that you’ve done at least something, let it be enough. Of course though, some weekends your social battery will be nonexistent and you'll feel less inclined to spend time with friends. This is completely fine, spending a weekend in solitude might also be really rewarding and restful. Just listen to yourself, and be in-tune with your physical, mental and social needs.

Stay rested kids, and remember you don't need to have it all figured out!

But before you try to study all night after spending the whole day going over content, go out instead, there’s always tomorrow.

Much love,

Mia