How to prevent busy kids from overextending themselves

Burnout can be harmful to high school students.

Today’s teenagers are busy. According to the American Time Use Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average high school student spends just under an hour and a half each weekday participating in extracurricular activities that include playing sports, working/volunteering and religious activities.

With so much do and lots of encouragement to participate in their communities, teens can easily find themselves overextended. Extracurricular activities are important, and some have even been linked to improved academic performance. But it’s equally important that high school students avoid burnout, which can adversely affect their academic performance and how much they enjoy school and other activities.

Parents can employ various strategies to help busy teenagers avoid overextending themselves.

• Learn the signs of burnout and look for them.

Even the most overextended teenager probably enjoys many of the activities he or she engages in. So it’s unlikely that kids will selfreport burnout to their parents, teachers, coaches, or other authority figures. Parents can learn to spot the signs of burnout to identify if their child is overextended. According to Understood. org, a website sponsored by 15 nonprofit organizations devoted to helping parents of kids between the ages of three and 20, procrastination, negative attitudes, testiness, difficulty concentrating, and a disinterest in things kids once liked are some potential indicators of burnout. Parents who notices any of these signs in their children might want to look at their kids’ schedules to see if their children are simply taking on more than they can chew.

• Teach kids time management skills.

Time management skills can help kids make effective and efficient use of their time. Encourage kids who are struggling with their schedules to use a calendar to plan their weeks. Knowing what’s expected of them each day can help kids develop a plan to get everything done. In addition, when kids make a list of their daily activities, parents can go over that list with them to see if they’re taking on too much. Discuss the calendar with kids, and if kids express feelings of exhaustion or burnout, go through the calendar to see where they can free up some time, even if it means cutting some activities out of their schedules entirely.

• Teach kids the art of prioritizing.

Parents know that some tasks are more important than others. But kids may not be so savvy. Teach kids how to prioritize, emphasizing that academics always come first. Give kids some credit if they’re initially resistant to dropping some activities, as that can indicate an admirable willingness to commit. But emphasize that school comes first, and that activities that are low priority might need to be sacrificed during the school year. In addition, point out that certain activities that are not school-related can be revisited in the summer, when kids typically have less hectic schedules.