When I switched from dance as a hobby to dance as a full-time commitment, I encountered one of the toughest scheduling challenges ever. For many years, I had danced with a group for five hours every Saturday during the school year and every day over the summer. By the end of my freshman year in high school, I decided that I wanted to become a professional dancer. I checked out a bunch of programs and became fixed on taking eight classes a week. 

This was a huge change in my schedule, but I was determined to make it work. The question was: How would I fit in all these classes without sacrificing my performance at school or my general energy level? 

For starters, I drew up a time map. Some days I had dance class immediately after school, getting me home by 6:30. Other times, I had hours to kill between school and dance and would get home at 9:00 p.m. On my time map, I entered all my dance classes and then marked the open slots I'd have for doing homework, specifying what kind of work I could do when - depending on how long the break was and whether I'd be home or in transit. I also plotted out times for snacks to make sure I'd keep my energy level up. (All this was color coded, of course.) 

When school started, I stuck to my schedule, without any excuses. Once I got into my routine, it not only became second nature but also felt more comfortable than it had been when I had had so much free time on my hands. My performance in school was enhanced because I was happier with what I was doing and felt more balanced between the two important things that I was pursuing in my life. My energy level was even higher. I thought that adding all the dance classes would weigh me down, but it had the opposite effect of boosting my productivity.

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