How I Balanced High School & Synchro By Maya Reistad
There are a couple of strategies I’ve used over the past few years that really helped me balance school and synchro:
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Use lighter classes wisely. I always had at least one class that wasn’t as demanding where I could quietly work on homework for other subjects. Of course, I still got the work done for that class, but it helped me stay ahead and reduce the load at night.
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Sleep first. If it’s getting too late (past midnight or so), I’d stop and go to bed, then wake up early to finish. A little sleep is better than none, and it always helped me do better the next day.
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Don’t cram. Staying up all night before exams rarely works. A good night’s sleep is way more effective than cramming.
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Parents’ role. My parents had a pretty hands-off approach, which worked well for me. I know that won’t work for everyone, but I think it’s important for parents to stay calm and not add extra stress. Pressure usually makes it harder to be productive.
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Compartmentalize. At practice, I only think about swimming. At school, I only think about school. Turning off one “brain” when you can’t do anything about it really helps reduce stress.
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Study outside the house. Home has a lot of distractions. Coffee shops and libraries helped me stay focused because I couldn’t suddenly decide to clean my room or watch TV.
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Do homework right away. I tried to do math homework during math class, chem homework right after chem, etc. Doing it while the info was fresh made it go much faster and left less for the evening.
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Avoid the “suffering Olympics.” Some people love to compete over who is the most stressed, the most sleep-deprived, or has the most homework. Don’t buy into that — it kills motivation. Focus on what you need to do.
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Stay organized. I use a to-do list program that sorts assignments by due date and changes colors as deadlines approach. I also keep a whiteboard for exam dates and notes. That way nothing sneaks up on me.
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Adjust your effort dial. Not everything needs 100% effort. An AP Chem exam takes way more focus than a vocab quiz, so I learned to prioritize and not overwork the small things.
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Get to school early. I arrive about 45 minutes early and do homework in the library. It’s a quiet, productive time and also guarantees I’m never late.
Driving straight to Seattle after school also helped me. It cut down stress about being late to practice and actually gave me more time for homework since I wasn’t wasting time backtracking.
I know not every tip works for everyone, but hopefully at least one of these ideas helps make the high school + synchro balance feel a little easier.
Maya Reistad
