Pick Three: Academics, Sports, Free Time, Sleep

In my day, we somehow managed to get a good education, do required homework, get plenty of sleep, and have lots of time left over for sports, part-time jobs, individual interests, and all kinds of other social activities. Most of my peers did most of it, and quite a few did it all. 

I don’t know exactly what happened, but that’s certainly not the norm for college bound high school students, anymore.

Nowadays, with all the time it seems to take to be competitive for a seat at a good college, it’s normal for serious students to be sleep-deprived.

Studying is important. But there’s a point at which more time spent studying hurts your GPA more than it helps. Lack of sleep will eventually become harmful to memory, creativity, thinking, reading, writing, and other mental and physical processes necessary to do good academic work.

Growing teenagers need a good nine hours of sleep per night. When I ask students how much sleep they’re getting, the answer is generally in the neighborhood of six to seven hours per night. That’s not enough. And it matters. Adding just one hour of sleep per night could significantly improve your energy levels, cognitive functioning, mood, and academic performance. 

[First of all, it's worth asking if you're pursuing the right goal. A top college should be only your goal for the right reasons. Your reasons. There are other good options. You really do not have to do this, if you don't want to. Only you can decide if the path to a top college is right for you. Having said that, I'll assume you've rationally chosen that path, for yourself, for the right reasons, and are looking for ways to make the trip as productive and frictionless as possible.]

Under-disciplined but otherwise ambitious students today can pick three of the following four desirables: academic success, sports, free time, and sleep. All may seem essential. How do you pick just three?

First, choose reasonable sleep time on a regular basis, and some downtime to go with it. Without your health, nothing else matters, and little else can be accomplished. This should be non-negotiable.

That leaves academic success, and sports/extracurriculars. Academic success is the whole purpose of the undertaking, so pick that.

Now what? No sports or extracurriculars? 

Maybe not. Is baseball really that important? Band? Volunteering? Sometimes the answer will be “No, not that important.” Other times it might be “HELL YES, that’s extremely important.”

So, what’s the answer, then? Can't I have it all? 

The answer is a qualified "yes, you can" and the not-so-secret ingredient is self discipline. 

To have it all you’ll need to become very good at making tough choices and sacrificing the small stuff. ALL the small stuff.

The word “No” will become a very close friend. You must learn to say “no” to just about anything and everything unimportant. Sometimes a nap may be a good idea; other times, not. You may want to do two sports simultaneously, but is it worth the hit to your academics?

You’ll need to become a master planner. You’ll need to be motivated and organized. Deliberately set things up so you’ll get things done and get enough sleep. No slouching. No this, no that. That's a lot of no.

Luckily, the things you'll need to refuse are probably things you don't want to do anyway, if you think about it in light of what's important and valuable and rewarding to you.

It’s time to grow up. That’s really all it is. Childhood is basically over. No free lunch. Go out there and pay your dues.

Chances are quite good the effort will be well worth it.

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