“Use Your Time Wisely!” College Athlete Edition
“That time of year” is just around the corner. The start of a new school year, or maybe a whole new chapter. It’s probably the most stressful, yet exciting weeks of the year, and maybe the most busy and overwhelming for some. But let’s be real, is there ever a time in our lives that’s truly slow and relaxing? If you’re like my family, there was rarely a night all 5 of us ate dinner at the same time. Between practices, meetings, and work schedules, it was always “that time of year” for us. But that’s how we rolled, and for the most part I loved it. This chaotic lifestyle can make it really hard to find time for the important things in life: Jesus, family, friends, school. 8:00AM games on Sundays would prevent us from getting to church, or long nights of high school sporting events made it tough to find time to do daily math assignments. The things we sacrifice for sports might seem crazy to the average person, but to me it’s always been worth it, not necessarily easy, but worth it. Being able to wisely manage time has been key to staying on top of all the different schedules I’ve had. Over the years I’ve learned many things along the lines of time management, which has guided me through my first 2 years of college. Through this blog, I hope I can share some tips, give some ideas, but really just encourage you to reflect on your life, your priorities, and the way you spend your time, especially as a college athlete.
find a routine!
A typical day in my life during the school year consists of waking up, eating breakfast, going to class, getting some shots up if I have time, lunch, practice, lift, dinner, sometimes work, and fitting in homework wherever I can. Reading that off sounds intimidating, but I honestly haven’t had a semester yet where I’ve felt overwhelmed. I’d love to say there’s one or two specific skills I use to stay on top of things as a college athlete, but honestly I just take things one semester at a time, and stick to a routine. My biggest mistake in all of college so far has been taking an 8am class 3 days a week my first semester of freshman year (and even worse it was yoga). I hated the routine I was in and I found it so hard to find motivation to get anything done. I figured out that I am most productive in the morning before I go to class or practice, and that wasn’t happening when my alarm would go off at 7am and I’d sit at a desk for 3 hours half asleep. Having a class schedule that doesn’t start until 10am allows me to wake up when my body wants, but still have an hour or two to get a few things done, and be completely ready for the day. Even something as simple as getting out of bed and making a good breakfast while watching an episode of my favorite show helps me get in the right mindset to attack the day. Rolling out of bed a few minutes before I have to be somewhere has never worked for me. Every single person is different but what I’m trying to say is find a schedule that helps you be the most productive and healthy version of yourself. Maybe you’re a night owl and you get the most done after everyone else is asleep. Or maybe you’re an early bird who likes to hit the gym before sunrise and immediately start accomplishing things. Whatever it is, keep it consistent, and know what works best for you, don’t just “wing it” everyday and hope it works out.
relax and unwind
I was listening to a podcast a few weeks ago about burnout among athletes and the girl speaking gave some advice that really stuck with me. So often in our lives we completely book our schedules and try to max out every second of every day with plans or commitments. As athletes we feel the constant need to be on the go. Her suggestion was to never schedule two things without a break in between. If you’re on your way to the next event on your schedule stressing about a red light delaying you 30 more seconds, you need to slow down and figure out a way to avoid that anxiety. It’s not healthy or enjoyable to constantly be late or in a rush. If possible, try to plan your class schedule in a way that avoids anything an hour before practice. After class, let yourself eat a good lunch and let your body and mind unwind. Take your time getting to practice. After practice go home and shower, sit down for a bit. It’s so easy to sacrifice your free time when you could be getting things accomplished, but you’re not going to be able to give it your all and be happy doing it when you’re overwhelmed. Time to relax and unwind is more necessary than we realize, and can go such a long way in not becoming burnt out.
family and friends
Something that sets aside college athletes from the normal student is the amount of time you are able to spend at home. Obviously everyone’s situation is different, but if you’re anything over a few hours away, it’s tough to make a trip home aside from breaks and holidays. Today’s society makes it incredibly easy to stay connected with those I love back home, as long as I’m intentional and make the time for it. Facetime and social media make me feel like I haven’t missed a beat in my sisters’ and little cousins’ lives. A lot of people hate on social media and say it’s a negative piece of society but I wouldn’t be able to handle being away from home without it. Keeping in touch with my friends from home, constantly sending snapchat memories back and forth is a super fun way to keep us connectedI look forward to the 1-2 Facetime calls a week with my grandparents. It’s a great time for me to take a break from everything I’m doing and just talk about the current events of both of our lives, and thank my grandma for the weekly mail she sends me. She’s hardly missed a week of keeping my mailbox full since I left for college, and keeps me stocked with Starbucks cards:) . Leaving home and the people you grew up with is challenging, but the people who love and care about you the most will want to stay close to you, so I encourage you to make time for those people because in reality, they’re probably a huge reason you are where you are.
time with Jesus
The final piece of this topic is the most important one. Keeping a strong Faith in Jesus is being tested more than ever when you begin college. Coming from a Lutheran school, it was a new lifestyle, a new group of people all from different backgrounds, and I didn’t have as much pointing me to Jesus. In high school, if we missed a Sunday church service it didn’t feel like a big deal because I had religion class and chapel five days a week. Nowadays, without church on Sunday, I risk going over a week without setting aside time for God. I struggled a lot with this my freshman year. I didn’t have a car at school so that was my excuse for not going to church, when I could have easily found a ride. I told myself I would watch a service online, but it’s even harder to make time for that when you’re in a dorm room full of distractions. I now have made it a part of my weekly routine to get to church, and it’s something I really encourage college students to make a priority. I love being able to do it for myself, and it’s a perfect transition from week to week. I have a job that allows me to work with people who have special needs, and bring them places, so I try to work on Sunday mornings so I can bring a few of them with me to church. They love it and it just fills my cup to be able to see them there while also growing my faith.
Another hobby I’ve picked up over the last few months is listening to faith-based podcasts. It’s crazy the specific topics you can find out there, that can hit on whatever you want to hear. If you would like any recommendations send me a message I’d love to give you a list!
Moving away from home means it’s up to you how much time you spend with Jesus, and there’s no better way to do that than find a community of people to go through that journey with. It might already exist, or maybe it’s time for you to be bold and reach out to someone first. I came into a basketball program who was super strong in their faith, and we even had team Bible studies my Freshman year. It is a goal of mine this year to try and get our team back to that this season. Maybe your group is your campus’ FCA program, or people from your church. Whoever they are, hold each other accountable and check in on those friends and their faith.
This whole post has been just a jumble of my thoughts over the last few weeks about what I feel has helped me use my time wisely so far as a college athlete. I think it’s really valuable for those especially heading to college. Freshman year is tough to figure out, and it can be a challenge to continue being who you are. Just a few small tools can help point you in the right direction of keeping your priorities in line. Every person is so different and that’s why I really hope those who read this will feel encouraged to find what works for you, so that you can be the best version of yourself. I know college is important, and all the commitments a college athlete has isn’t optional, but I promise you there is a way to still prioritize yourself, your family, and most importantly your Faith.
