Dancing and school and homework…oh my!

It’s back to school time here in the UK and that means back to dancing for a lot of us. Whilst we still have dance class in the summer holidays, we tend to relax a bit more, spend more time with our friends and family and go on holidays. Our bodies and minds need this break in order to perform well throughout the rest of the year. 

But… six weeks is a long time to have out of our normal routines and it can feel hard for some dancers, and our MWM Coaches, to return back to that structure. For dancers who are entering High/Secondary School, who have moved up to Year 10 or 11, are heading off to College or University or maybe starting their first full time jobs it can be very hard to learn how to juggle your new responsibilities and workload with your dance schedule. 

But don’t fear! It is possible to manage it all without running yourself into the ground and burning yourself out (which none of us want!!)

Here’s 10 top tips to help manage your busy dancing schedule:

1. Divide large tasks into smaller ones - this is a great tip for when you have a long essay to write in school. 
2. Prioritise - what task is going to be most beneficial for us to do with our time? What is most important right now? What piece of homework has to be handed in sooner? 
3. Monitor your time - have you scheduled 30 minutes to do your maths homework but really it takes an hour? Next week you’ll know to schedule an hour. Does your practice session actually take 45 minutes by the time you’ve warmed up and cooled down? Then you’ll know to schedule 45 minutes next time. 
4. Set realistic expectations - we need to remember that we won’t and can’t be productive for every minute or second of the day. So don’t plan your day with 15 things to do, when realistically you’ve only got time to do five. 
5. Ask for help! This is something that a lot of us are not very good at, but asking for help when we need it ensures that we reduce the likelihood of burnout. Can we ask for help with our new set dance? Would asking for help from others help us to understand our new set dance faster? Would it help us to improve at a faster rate? 
6. Keep a schedule. This is something that Meg and Annabelle do everyday. Keeping a schedule means that we can plan our days in advance, ticking off the tasks we complete makes us feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, it helps us to see where and how we spend most of our time. 
7. Schedule in downtime! We all need time to just relax, to eat, to sleep, to watch the TV - make sure you schedule that in as well and don’t fill your hours with something productive all day everyday.
8. Avoid distractions - turn your phone off when you revise so that you can concentrate on the task at hand. Stop scrolling through TikTok when you are meant to be practising. Tell friends and family not to disturb you when you are working. 
9. Take breaks - it is important to take breaks. A good revision tip is to revise for 25 minutes and then take a five minute break - step away from your desk, make a cup of tea, walk around the house, play with your dog! It means you’ll go back after five minutes feeling more refreshed. 
10. Utilise your travel time - if you travel to dance class, school, college, university or work for a long time then utilise those hours. Can you read? Listen to a podcast that will help you learn? Test your friends? Work on loosening your ankles?   

Time management skills are something that will serve you well throughout your whole life, so the sooner you can get into the habit, the better. Find out what works for you - remember everyone is different! What are your favourite time management skills?