You’ve probably heard people say that students who are athletic or hobby oriented usually do well in academics. Ever wondered why that’s the case? Based on all the information gathered I think it has something to do with a refreshed mind, a positive attitude, exercise and most importantly concentration. So one is bound to ask can hobbies improve concentration? Considering the points discussed so far, you are probably wondering, how these aspects are related to hobbies? Here’s how?

Refreshes the mind It is a perfect activity to engage in, if one takes a break form the tasks that need to be completed or studies during examinations. Taking time off from whatever it is you are doing and spending it in a hobby refreshes the mind at is provides an outlet for releasing pent up emotions.

Creates a positive mindset Since engaging in a hobby lets you clear your mind and emotions; it for the time being releaves you of any negative emotion or negativity you may feel or encounter. Thus, you come out feeling positive and so a positive person with a positive attitude.

Exercises the body and mind If your hobby is the right one, then it is the kind that gives you some physical exercise. For instance if you are a foot-baller than you are exercising both your mind and your body. Similarly, someone playing a musical instrument like the violin or a guitar exercises the creative part or musical part of the brain while exercising the body as well which is dependent upon the choice of instrument.

Builds Concentration Irrespective of your hobby preferences, there is always room for building your concentration. Whether it is a sport that you enjoy or like playing a musical instrument, or simply knitting you are building your concentration. Take for example; basket-ball you are expected to shoot hoops whenever an opportunity presents itself. Similarly, if you play a guitar then you have to be attentive to minute changes in notes to identify the chord. If you are passionate about crochet than you need to give focused attention to the type of stitch you are creating while a minor change in the way the stitch is done can increase your work twice fold. If you are a painter this too requires a lot of concentration as a simple stroke mistake can ruin what you are attempting to create with the colours and the strokes.

So can hobbies improve concentration? In my opinion yes, for reasons I have elaborated within this article. If you are looking for more information about hobbies or extracurricular activities or tips to balance the two or are faced with time management problems or if you have developed a procrastinating habit and are looking of ways to stop procrastination then you can visit our website for tips and even check out articles covering a wide range of topics which you might find very useful on www.careerfutura.com.

Most Students have a tough time managing homework along with extracurricular activities. As a result one is given preference over the other. So students tend to focus more on extracurricular activities and school work takes a back seat. Put simply the balancing beam tilts instead of a balance being maintained.

Even though participating in extracurricular activities has its benefits but slipping grades isn’t good either. As it is far more important than outside activities. Similarly too many activities can also affect grades in the long run and can have an effect on one’s health as well. Hence, the question How to Balance Schoolwork with extracurricular activities? Comes in to play. Luckily there are few things that you can do to prevent your grades from slipping further.

Prepare a To Do List

Students can prepare a list of all the things that they need to do for instance a project that is due next month, a test due tomorrow, assignments that are due at different times during the week or a ppt presentation that is due on Monday or a game next week. Once they have listed out all the tasks with their deadlines they then need to sort out the tasks that are important.

Prepare a Calendar

Once they have all the tasks along with the deadlines, then preparing a calendar comes into play. In the calendar you can make a note of the tasks that are due alongside the date. This will give you a clear view of the tasks that have to be completed and by when.

Prepare a Time Table

When you have a lot of tests or exams in the coming week it is probably a wise decision to prepare a time table for the purpose of allotting time for each subject. That way you cover more portion within a small amount of time.  

Learn to Priorities

Knowing how to priorities the tasks is a good skill that everyone should learn. Besides it is said, “Experience is the best teacher”, meaning that what you learn via experience is a lesson learnt well and are sure to remember it too. In chaotic situations you learn the skill of prioritising well; as you are pushed into a corner and need to learn how to manage all the tasks at hand. It is common sense that the tasks that are due later in the current week or tomorrow need to be completed first and as soon as possible. For instance if you have an assignment that is due tomorrow and a dance rehearsal to attend to today, it’s obvious that these tasks should have been completed by now!

Formulate a Plan

You need to plan for the worst-case scenario. For example if you have a test due tomorrow but you have to attend a basketball practice it is understood that you have to have finished preparing for the test or if you fall sick the previous day it would have helped if you were half way through your preparation.

Time Management

I’m sure you’ve come across these words quite often so I assume that you know what they mean by now. Nevertheless, to jog your memory, you need to make use of the time that you have wisely if you wish to get all the tasks done in time. For instance if you had to go for a foot ball practice for the match tomorrow and you had an assignment to submit tomorrow itself then if you have managed your time well and completed it way before its deadline then you wouldn’t have to sit down with it immediately when you got home from practice thus you would have got the rest that you would need to perform well in the game tomorrow.

Refrain from Procrastination

Along similar lines of time management is procrastination. It means that if a task is given it is preferable to begin with the task rather than putting it off for another time and then realising that you should have done the task at the time instead of postponing it for another time. For example if you have a project submission tomorrow and a are participating in a Drama today, if you had worked on it at the time it was given to you and managed to finish it by now you would have saved yourself from having to work on it the moment you got back home. Or you would have to finish it in a hurry and it wouldn’t be your best effort.

Be Organised

Following these steps will help you to be organised if you haven’t already learnt to be organised. The best and the only way to make both ends meet is by getting organised yourself. If your room is not organised get it organised by reserving some time from your busy schedule for this task. Remember that if your room is not organised finding things when you really need them will be difficult and will hinder your task completion as well.

Monitor Yourself

If you find things are all out of control, it’s time for damage control. First and foremost you need to calm down and evaluate all the various possible reasons for the chaos. If it hasn’t helped then it is probably wise to cut down on the number of activities you are participating. Because you are only human with limits.

Take Help

If you find it difficult to identify the various reasons for the chaos, it is preferable to seek help from parents, siblings or friends. Or if the tasks are way too overwhelming for you, it is probably a good idea to slow down, pause and take help from the ones near and dear to you.

Pay Attention to Your Health  

You  need to ensure that you health is in place and in order to achieve this you need to make sure that you eat a healthy diet, sleep on time and get some exercise. Following an unhealthy life style is sometimes the main reason for chaotic situations.

Therefore by applying the points discussed, you will be able to balance both schoolwork along with the extracurricular activities smoothly; provided that it doesn’t result in you working in overdrive. And will in turn help you later on in life. Remember to space out all the activity that have to be done as and when it is applicable.   

Activities that individuals participate in other than academics are termed as extracurricular activities. These activities may be participating in various competitions such as Spelling Bees, Skit or Play Competitions, Sports such as Cricket, Football, Throw Ball, Basket Ball, Badminton, Table Tennis, Hockey, Science Fairs, Olympiads, Musicals, Dance and Singing competitions, learning classical dance forms such as Bharata Natyam (Tamil Nadu), Kuchupudi (Andhra Pradesh), Odissi (Orissa), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Kathakali and Mohiniattam (Kerela), Sattriya (Assam)and Manipuri (Manipur), Drawing Competitions; even hobby related activities such as Cooking, Baking, Needlework, Knitting, Crochet, playing a musical instrument such as Guitar, Clarinet, Drums, Piano, Violin, Chellos, even written works such as poetry, prose, novelist  and the list goes on.

Participating in extracurricular activities not only leads to healthy living but it also increases ones maturity levels. Thus the benefits can be broadly classified into Health and Personal benefits. No matter what the activity is, its benefits fall into either of these categories.

i)        Health Benefits: 

(a)    Coping Mechanisms: studies suggest that the most effective way to vent out pent up emotions is via extracurricular activities, music being on such activity. Individuals who play musical instruments generally use it to release the pent up emotions. It enables these individuals to deal with issues such as a death of someone close to them or problems faced in life. Through their compositions or music pieces they are able to communicate their feelings well as these individuals aren’t very good at expressing their emotions on a general level. Music helps them to clear their mind and gives them clarity of thought as well. Like musicians even dancers use dance to help them cope with upsetting emotions, writers write in journals or compose poetry and prose or even write novels, painters paint or draw to express their emotions.  Similarly sports persons play to deal with their emotions and to clear their mind. Such activities in turn keep both the Mind as well as the Body healthy.

(b)   Maturity Level Rises:  it is said that the more practical exposure one has, the more mature they become. When participating in extracurricular activities people learn a lot with the experiences they have. Hence it is said, “With experience, knowledge increases”. This is because you tend to have some idea about dealing with similar situations and are better able to rectify things when they go wrong. By experiencing new things the maturity level increases therefore you understand events and things that have happened in the past better but later on in life due to the knowledge gathered over the years. Individuals with a lot of exposure can understand things that others don’t in a life time and some may never learn things that the others have learnt.

(c)    Academic Benefits: studies suggest that students who participate in extracurricular activities also tend to perform well in academics. The findings state that extracurricular activities promote a positive attitude, refresh and vitalize the mind and the body as a result students perform well during academics.

ii)      Individual Benefits:

(a)    Explore other Areas: through extracurricular activities it gives one the opportunity to explore areas about themselves that they have not thought off. Ultimately it helps these individual’s to learn more about themselves such as likes, dislikes, interest areas and the possibility of improvement required is also highlighted.

(b)   Identify Individual Talents: apart from realizing ones likes dislikes and interest areas, engaging in these activities also brings to the notice of the individual their hidden talents that may not surface. These talents only surface if given an opportunity to, if left undiscovered will remain undiscovered and eventually lost. With it the possibility of a career in the talent is also lost.

(c)    Values Learnt: engaging in such activities also teaches people important values such as corporation, team spirit and working together. It gives individuals an opportunity to harbor soft skills such as leadership, team building, communication and presentation skills, personal grooming, it raises awareness and develops their creative skills too.

(d)   Career decisions Easy: if individuals are aware of their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, popularly known as SWOT Analysis; making career decisions will be relatively easier.  Apart from this knowing your interests also helps students to filter out the possible careers and put measures in place to develop these skills.

For all these reasons it is essential for individuals to participate in extracurricular activities. The earlier, the better; as it gives enough room to develop these skills, thus the individual is prepared to convert their talents into professions if required. Therefore, the chances of success are higher. But remember to develop a learning attitude as this will help individuals to deal with different situations well and in an appropriate manner. So what are you waiting for, pick something and just start!