With exams approaching, you should be thinking about how to get better at time management and organize your days so you can strike the right balance between home, work and school life.

By taking the time to arrange your priorities, you can give yourself the best chance of staying on track and organized during the exam period, which in turn can help reduce stress levels, something that can be the difference between success and failure at school.

Take a look at time management tips, so that you can do your best at school and also find moments to relax.

Sort your life as a teenager. Are friends important to be around at this time? Do you find yourself on the internet a lot? Are you someone who goes to the library to study in a quiet environment? Are your parents around to assist you or prefer to ask for teachers’ help?

Prioritize your weekly schedule as a student. Any educational/academic studies must come first, then extra curriculum activities, and then social life. Friends will want to hang out with you on the weekends, but they will understand if you explain to them that you need to study or catch up on school work.

List the exact due dates for events, assignments, tests and other homework.This will greatly help you to remind you when things need to be done by. Next, sort extra curricular activities. Any activity dealing with school should be placed before the After School ones. Then, input non-educational events, such as babysitting, jobs around the house, etc, with team events, such as sports, coming first. Finally, treat yourself to a computer game or time with friends.

Set a time limit on how long you study for each class. Don’t go overboard on one subject and forget that you have several others to catch up on before going to bed. Also, don’t rush through studying; take your time and concentrate. You may want to set an alarm clock so when it rings, go to another subject, and reset the alarm.

Get at least 6-9 hours of sleep. If you have more or less sleep than you should have, you may start lacking in your schoolwork and become lazy because of the urge or want to sleep.

Try to take showers before going to school. You’ll be more refreshed, alert, and relaxed as you start the day. Night showers are sometimes “missed” if you have your face covered in books and realize that it’s time to go to sleep.

Go over your homework or assignments with your parents. It’s always a positive action to get your parents involved. When this is not possible, ask your teachers for advice.

Think of how non-educational activities are affecting your schedule. If you are babysitting or doing jobs around the house, compromise on set days and times that go around your school life. If you cannot commit to your studies because of football practice, then you must take action. When something gets in the way, you need to drop it, even if it’s temporarily.

Don’t neglect your health. Just because you’re short of time doesn’t mean you should live on junk food. Try to get your fruits and vegetables everyday. Remember to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. Doing these things will support mental, physical and emotional function.

Check out the infographic: