While you are in college, obviously school should be your number one priority. However, you tend to get distracted by all the fun our friends are having. The hardest part of being a college student is seeing all of your friends that aren't in school going out and having a great time while you sit at your desk studying. The key to a healthy college experience is balance.

You may be one of two people: somebody who works too hard or somebody that doesn't work hard enough.

You do need the time to go out with your friends, though still maintaining your focus. It is always an excellent idea to make friends in your major, so you can spend time studying together and fulfill both social interaction and school work. I have learned throughout my college career that everything is great in moderation. Spending ten hours studying isn't really helping you anymore; sometimes you need to take a moment to breathe and appreciate life. It goes both ways; you can't spend all your time studying, and you can't spend all your time going out with your friends.

I try to come up with a reward system for myself. If I get all my projects done during the week, my weekends are free. If my work bleeds into the weekend, I set aside my "grind time" and will spend some time with friends in the evening once I complete everything. I am definitely known to be the one in my apartment that pulls all of my roommates into the living room for a study break dance party if I notice we have been working nonstop for too long. We are all the people that work too hard and have to make the conscious effort to have personal time. I have learned that I perform much better if give myself free time, it keeps my stress at bay and makes me feel more capable of taking on tasks because I am happier and less overwhelmed.

For those of you that struggle with prioritizing school, you have to learn how to schedule your time. If you work out a system that you will only be free for a certain period of time, you will be more likely to spend your other time focusing. I know "FOMO", fear of missing out, is a real thing, but you have to acknowledge what your priority is and hold yourself accountable. That feeling of dread when you realize that you didn't study for an exam because you were gallivanting around town or realizing you missed a deadline because you were distracted by doing other things feels terrible, so do yourself a favor and don't do it. You GPA will thank you greatly.

Here are two ways to stay on track:

• Planners are seriously one of the greatest inventions. I live by mine. It keeps me on task, and, if I stay organized, it makes my work-free time relationship much healthier because I stay on task for work and have more time leftover to play. Yes, grownups can play too.
• To-do lists are also great because you get the satisfaction of crossing tasks off of the list. If you know you have these assignments to complete, it is less likely you will miss one or put one off.

Regardless of what kind of person you are, it is important to distribute your time in a way that benefits you. To achieve this, it takes a bit of self-reflection to figure out what the best way for you to organize yourself is. Once you can accomplish this balanced lifestyle, college will feel much more relaxed.