Student athletes are often told to spend time studying, but at the same time, make sure they practice. What does this mean for them? Many student-athletes get bad grades while performing very well on the field. They often believe that if they do well in their sport, grades shouldn't matter. They simply do what they have to do to get ahead. However, this is not true. While many students suffer in school, some student athletes do not. What are their secrets? The best way I have found to improve student athletes' grades is to show them proper time management. This is the key to a successful student-athlete career. As a student-athlete myself, I understand the time and effort it takes to be successful both on and off the field. If you ask my teammates, I always did my homework when I was on the bus or watching another game. I was prepared for anything that might happen unexpectedly. One thing I was always aware of as an athlete was that anything could happen in a single moment. I have seen many people lose their dreams because of a comedy. In an instant everything they had worked for disappeared. When something like this happens, it is often extremely difficult for an athlete to maintain schoolwork. Therefore, they must be self-sufficient while carrying out their daily activities as best as possible. Student athletes are everywhere. They attend college, high school, middle school, and even elementary school. Often when you talk to a high school or college student athlete, they mention how busy they are. This is the product of lack of time management. According to Cornell University, a college student should study an average of 6-8 hours in a single night. That's a significant amount of time for a student... halfway through a paper.... The best thing someone can do when trying to improve this is stay organized and focused. The critical first step is to create a plan and stick to it daily. Staying on task and sticking to a time limit will also help. It's best to know expected deadlines for items and plan ahead. Having the assignment completed a day or two before the due date is always better. One thing many struggle with when trying to learn time management skills is blocking out distractions. Prioritizing projects and tasks and eliminating unnecessary tasks can help with time management. Time for yourself and friends is something that often gets overlooked when managing time. Always give yourself time to relax. Overall, time management can be a difficult thing. However, with the right attitude and support, all of this can be very possible and easily achieved.