Being a student already comes with big responsibilities. Being a student-athlete most definitely adds to these. A high school athlete is not only worried about graduation, prom, and finishing off their high school career with good accomplishments in their sports and academics, but also about continuing their athletic career in college. This article will give you some tips and tricks on how to find a balance between all the stresses of being a high school athlete, and recruiting!

The recruiting process is for sure a big one to worry about when wanting to further your athletic career. Being able to find a balance amongst your sport, school, and social life while going through the recruiting process is key. It will allow you to dedicate the right amount of time to everything and get the most out of each. Here are some tips and tricks on how to find a balance among these:

Related: 5 Recruiting Tips From Track Athlete, Gabby Scott

Think of everything that you need to do.
This includes social events, homework, paperwork for your recruiting process, everything. This will give you a sense of how much stuff you have to do in the next week, month, and year. 

Write everything down and create a schedule.
Planning is very important when you have a lot going on at the same time, and it helps you organize your tasks over a long period of time. 

Related: 4 Tips on Time Management for College Athletes

Gather everything you might need to accomplish all of your tasks.
Having everything you need to accomplish or progress with your tasks at hand will allow for everything to go smoothly. There will be less room for errors or chances for inconvenience. Nobody likes realizing you need a copy of your transcript for an application due at midnight, after the school office has closed for the weekend.

Start with the tasks that are due first.
Get the most urgent deadlines out of the way so your schedule frees up for future tasks.

Taking a break never hurts anyone!
It's actually helpful to give yourself breaks and clear your mind. When you do, you can have a clearer mind and work through projects better.

Related: Athletes: How to Practice Mindfulness

If there are helpful resources offered by your school, use them!
This might relieve some stress by getting help from someone else and not carrying all of the weight on your shoulders. The school might have resources to help you discover opportunities that you didn't even know were possible.

Try to not procrastinate or waste time.
Doing nothing when you know you have things to do will just get you behind and stress you out later. As much as it may be a burden to work on it now, it will always be better for the future. 

If you are stuck on a task, try leaving it for another time and take a breather.
Trying to get something done when you are having a hard time finding a solution will only slow down the process and take more time. Go for a walk or take a nap and clear your mind. Or work on something else for a while!

If you know you have an important recruiting deadline coming up, never be afraid to say no.
Being able to prioritize your schedule will be beneficial. You don't have to say yes every time a friend asks for help or to hang out. You will thank yourself for standing your ground and knowing your priorities.

Related: DIII Football Recruiting Timeline

Set yourself limits.
This may not sound fun as you are nearing the end of your high school years and want to have fun, but it will have a positive impact in the near future. For example, if there is this big social event with your closest friends coming up but you have school deadlines and recruiting documents that need to get done, prioritize and set the limits.

Take time to reflect.
Taking a step back and looking at everything you've done or want to do will allow for objectivity and help you see how it's best to approach different situations. 

Break things down.
Before you start any task, be able to determine what you need to do for each one, how long each will take, and when their deadlines are. This way you have set yourself a schedule and are able to have everything down without constantly checking your calendar. 

Enjoy the process!
There will be many learning experiences to come from this, and they can help you handle future situations.

Never be afraid to ask for help when needed or wanted, everyone needs help once in a while! Recruiting might be stressful, but it leads to amazing years in college. 

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* Originally published on March 7, 2022, by Lilia Farach