The Key to Managing a Dancer's Schedule

The beauty and curse of life is that we only have 24 hours a day and at least 8 of those hours should be used for sleeping. It can be one of the most challenging aspects to figuring out your dance career. How do you make time for friends, family, dance rehearsals and practice, homework, and some good R&R? It isn't easy, but it does boil down to choices. Read on for advice on how to manage a full dance schedule.

The Key: Make a list of your true priorities and revisit it often.

We'll get the main point out right away. You need to know your priorities. Your priorities will be unique to your values and relate as well to the priorities of those in your close proximities. It may help to be practical and write out a list and review it on a daily basis. This will keep you grounded during a busy dance season or when you might otherwise get out of balance in your efforts.

Eliminate Distractions: Remove from your schedule time wasters or items unrelated to your above priorities.

Do you watch a lot of TV or spend time lounging around a little too often? Perhaps you spend an endless amount of time at the mall shopping. Although these actives aren't wrong, they may be distracting you from what is really important at a particular time. You can watch TV any time, but you can't always dance.

Care for Yourself: If you don't take care of yourself, you won't be able to dance at all.

All the time management in the world won't mean a thing if your instrument isn't tuned and cared for. You need at minimum sleep, nutritious food, and an outlet besides your dance. Plan out a normal week and make sure you put on this schedule time for all three of those elements. Keep them just as you would any other appointment.

Use your time Wisely: There are nooks and crannies in the day where productivity can be maximized.

Keep in mind that dance is very physical. If you have been dancing late into the evening, your brain will fresher for schoolwork and your work will go more smoothly and quickly if you attack it first thing in the morning. Use your study halls not for socializing, but rather for getting caugh up on work. Don't procrastinate on your schoolwork or home duties as this will cause unecesary stress.

A young dancer’s schedule teaches discipline and time management that will be used all throughout your life. Keep in mind why you are doing what you do and be grateful for every meaningful opportunity. Don’t take your life for granted!