This is a yearning in the heart of so many people; young and old alike, a dire need for satisfaction in everything we do. The need to balance academic and extracurricular, the need to balance faith and social life, the need for balance with family and work, the need for balance in relationships and other affairs.
Irrespective of the amount or level of happiness we get from the things we enjoy doing there is still that lingering thirst for a balance where you derive the same level of happiness from every of your involvement.
The thirst for balance is a very broad topic as it goes deeper than work-life balance. This article is focused on balancing academics and extracurricular. Many people tend to get this wrong and place one above the other such that it affects them generally.
Academic achievement is important for the successful development of young individuals in society. A savage response would be: in this same Nigeria? The response would be, yes! In this same Nigeria! If you think it is a lie, ask your lecturers or ask the Professor in Money Heist and he would tell you the difference between a robber and a thief.
The knowledge of things you gain in school cannot be lost and would come in handy. Extracurricular activities help individuals develop their social skills and harness goal-oriented teamwork skills amongst many others. Extracurricular are additions to academics, they help furnish your academic achievements.
Academics and Extracurricular are both important but you must know that for as long as you are in college or school, your academic comes first and then extracurricular. Do not place extracurricular over academics.
The place of sacrifice is duly understood but even at that you also need to know and understand that you do not say yes to everybody and everything. While being engaged in extracurricular is highly recommended, you have to also be sure that the activities you are investing your time into are not just in line with your aspirations but are also helping you become better.
Extracurricular activities in most cases involve more volunteering acts, so pay attention that while you are pumping your time and all into an activity you are getting back positive returns on investment.
Should there be a case where you are not getting back positive returns? Please be kind to yourself and quit! That is where balancing comes in, knowing when you derive satisfaction and when you do not such that if you feel your time is being wasted you kindly call quits.
Most importantly, living healthy is important if not more important than every other thing. Your mental and physical health is of absolute importance. For utmost efficiency, you have to be mentally and physically upright, more mentally than physically but they both work together.
In conclusion, you have to, first of all, know what you are doing, understand that as long as you are confined to the four walls of college your academics come first before extracurricular activities, learn to say no when it is not comfortable and convenient and most importantly lead a healthy lifestyle!
Author
Sophie Ogunmilade is a personal coach, mental health enthusiast, virtual assistant, writer, and Economics student.