It’s that time of year when most students encounter it. The overwhelming weight of schoolwork piling up and motivation levels diminishing. Burnout is a familiar feeling many high schoolers know all too well.
“I have four APs and am in 7 extracurriculars [that are] in and out of school. My weekly schedule is pretty consistent throughout the week. I usually have an activity after school and my weekends are fairly free,” Syon Aggarwal ‘27 said.
There are numerous students at Johnston who push themselves and strive for excellence, not just academically, but also by being involved in various activities. At times, it can be difficult for these students to figure out how to balance a busy schedule.
“I would say on average I probably spend 5 hours on schoolwork per week. I also have show choir every Tuesday and right now we’re in between seasons for mock trial, so I don’t have practice yet,” Sophia Amspaugh ‘27 said.
Oftentimes, when students get familiar with a busy schedule and an overachieving lifestyle, it can put a significant amount of pressure on them to continue to succeed. Sometimes, having free time can cause students to carry a sense of guilt.
“It’s nice when I get the time to relax but sometimes it feels that relaxing for too long isn’t ‘productive enough.’ My sense of success is often tied to a busy schedule because that productivity feels rewarding,” Aggarwal said.
In order for students to stay on top of their busy schedules and not lose track of their priorities, it’s important to outline and organize their responsibilities.
“I try to plan out what I’m going to do during the week, so, on certain days I’ll hang out with my friends, and other days, I’ll stay home to work on homework,” Amspaugh said.
Many students view the school culture as a system that carries expectations that students should spend an extensive amount of time on schoolwork outside of the classroom. However, along with other activities and already eight hours of school, students have little room for personal time. For many students, they believe in a culture reform.
“I would change how people view success as this overly busy schedule. If somebody has no free time, that’s not really healthy. I would say change school culture to be more balanced,” Amspaugh said.
As the second semester approaches, a friendly reminder for students to keep in mind: your worth is not determined by a grade or number of extracurriculars. Give yourself grace and remember that a balanced and healthy lifestyle requires both ambition and enjoyment.
“I think currently school culture is centered around busywork that doesn’t provide much future benefit and just increases burnout. I would change it to focus on building real-world skills and creativity to prepare for future careers,” Aggarwal said.
