To be a D1 athlete it takes focus and determination with wanting to succeed in both your academics and the sport you love. It's not easy to manage both with all the things they both come with, school coming with assignments everyday and sports coming with practice and extra time you have to do your own work to become great at what you do. I write this article  to answer some questions for the teens or any student athlete out in the world.

 D1 athletes manage  both school and sports by using time management

To be able to succeed in both academics and sports it's important to use your time wisely. Time management is important when you have a packed daily schedule. "Time management will be crucial to your success. You’ll be juggling hours of practice, games, and travel on top of your academic responsibilities" (How to balance). Being a student can be alot and handling it can be hard and this quote is showing you some things you have to do, to be successful in both athletics and sports   "Because you’re adding in a demanding activity on top of your course load, you  have to sacrifice some other things you want to do. That might mean skipping out on a social event with friends in exchange for practice or an away game”. (How to Balance)

 We first mention how to manage time but we also have to mention the benefits time management has on student athletes. Using your time wisely could put you in a great position with both your school work and time for your sport. If you put your school first and get it done you have your extra time to do your sport and then you don't have much to worry about knowing you used your time to get what is most important done first. A benefit of time management is less stress. Ways to keep up with your heavy loaded schedule, to keep you from becoming overwhelmed is to make a schedule. "Consider creating a weekly calendar to manage your busy schedule, making notes of class times, study time, upcoming assignments, tests and team practice/competition each day."(How to manage)  It's important to know when you need to get things done. It helps keep things orderly and keeps you on track. " Seeing deadlines for homework assignments can help you set up a study schedule and decide which assignments are most urgent." (How to manage) Doing these things could put you ahead of some of your work and allow time for other things that need to be done. 

Being a college athlete can be very stressful. Juggling both the sport you love and school you have to do. It's a lot and it puts stress on students. You constantly have to make sure you're on top of your grades because falling behind on assignments can cause you to be stressed out and get you far behind on work. 

Making sure you have all your things done and trying to do your sport can seem like a lot but there are ways you can avoid being stressed out about it. “One of the best ways I liked to relieve my stress was stepping away from the situation and finding something that was calming or relaxing to me in a way that my nerves weren’t so busted and I could actually focus on the task at hand rather than ignoring it and not getting to work turned in.”(pressbooks)  Another good way to deal with your stress is by finding a different approach to the work you are trying to complete.  Step back and evaluate the situation and find a new tactic and once you find something that works for you then roll with it.  Overall stress is not good for your body and all you are doing by stressing out is making it worse on yourself or the situation.  So like I said before, find new ways and new tactics or just give yourself a break so you can actually think.” (pressbooks)

The best way to handle all this in one is to create a schedule that you feel best fits your daily life. Creating a schedule can allow you to know when you need to get things done. Following this schedule daily can get you in a habit of getting both your work done and anything you need to do for your sport. An organized schedule can take a load off you and make thighs a lot easier. Making a schedule could get you the sleep you need, maybe even extra. Get your work done and even if you haven't finished your wake you maybe have on your schedule a time you go and study. A schedule is super beneficial.