With summer feeling like a distant memory now that the new competition season in full swing, Irish dancers might feel a little more squeezed for time. Often, balancing dancing with school, work, and social activities can seem a bit overwhelming when we want to perform at our best in all areas at once.
But breaking down your schedule into smaller, less overwhelming increments can help make everything seem more attainable. The Irish Dance Globe brought in professional dancer and performer Zoe Talbot – who created her own planner to help Irish dancers reach their goals – to share her top tips as to how Irish dancers can balance it all this autumn.
If You’re Overwhelmed, Write a List
“Going back to school or college can be overwhelming, especially trying to juggle extra study on top of dance classes and practise sessions,” Zoe says. “My one tip to getting organised is to schedule your days and to make a list of what you hope to achieve on a daily and weekly basis, or even hourly if you get overwhelmed. You might not get to everything on the list but that’s okay. Things can be moved around or changed but it’s great for the mind to have a plan for each day”.
Your schedule also doesn’t only have to include your busiest times, it’s important to allow yourself time to take care of your body. “As well as the structured times in school and college, the plan should include healthy nutritional meals to fuel your body and then most importantly some down time,” Zoe explains.
Use a Planner or Calendar
A planner is a must-have for staying organised and keeping all your activities in order. Finding a physical or digital planner with a layout that you like is crucial to managing daily tasks that may seem stressful at first glance. Writing out your to dos and scheduling exact times helps to break down your day and allows our brains to process these tasks easier.
Filling in your important dates and deadlines into a calendar also gives you a timeframe that you can use to gauge what you need to do and when. Whether these are upcoming feiseanna or big school projects, getting the due dates down on paper (or even your computer screen) will help you to know what needs to be prioritised in your daily routines.
Understand When You’re Most Productive
Everyone has a time of day where they feel the most energetic, most productive, or the most free of distractions. Some may feel best with a dance practice in the morning, while others may find the evening better.
When scheduling out your days, take a look at the activities that you must do at a certain times, whether it be school, work, or dance classes. From there, you can build around these events to optimise your time. If you have a break in between school and dance class that might be perfect for getting some homework done, schedule that time in as homework time and stick to it.
Set your Goals
Goal setting is one of the best tools that we can use to keep ourselves striving towards success. Tracking your goals and achievements is also a great way to see your progress. Many of us have experienced that satisfying moment where you get to check off another goal, and it feels great to see that crossed off on paper. Write your goals down, put them up on your wall, and check them off as you go.
Sometimes the best place to start is with small daily goals that will be your stepping stones towards your larger goals. For example, if your larger goal is to become more flexible, then a step towards that would be a smaller, simpler goal such as, “Stretch for 20 minutes every day”. Having a visual representation of the work and time you’re putting will help to keep you motivated.
Establish Your Support System
One of the most important aspects of goal setting is having a support system of people who are aware of your plans. Including others that you feel comfortable talking to about your goals and plans is key because they will be able to help along the way. Zoe shares that she’s always included her parents in her training plans and schedule so they could support her in any way that she needed. “They can be such a great support,” Zoe says. “I was so lucky to have my mum to drive me from school to dance classes and to have dinner on a tray in the back seat so I could eat on the run. The days can be hectic but when you are doing what you love even though it’s hard work it is totally worth it.”
As they say, it takes a village to get a dancer where they need to go. Parents, friends, teachers, coaches and other family members should all be aware of your goals and dreams because they will want to be a part of your journey.
Schedule in Time for Rest
Perhaps one of the most important aspects to balancing your busy life is to include time for rest. Often, when we are busy juggling many areas of life, we neglect rest. Sleep, relaxation, and downtime for recreation can sometimes feel unproductive, but in order to maintain motivation to keep working hard, our mind and body needs some time to recharge. Cutting these things out might actually do you a little more harm than good. Remember, it is always okay to take a day off to spend some time with your family and friends. Work hard, sleep harder.
Zoe recommends prioritising sleep within that schedule. “I recommend stopping screen time at least an hour before you sleep and give your head and body a time to relax and recharge,” she says. “Also switch to night time mode to take off the blue light. Bedtime is a good time to look back at your daily list and tick off what you have achieved that day and review tomorrow. Something so simple like this I find leaves me in a good headspace”.
It’s All About Balance
A busy, happy lifestyle is all about maintaining balance. While this might feel tough sometimes, it’s important to remember that you are doing the best you can. Every day is different, and what your mind and body needs to have a successful day may change. Use these tools as a way to take some stress off and create a balance between dance, school, and work. Create routines and stick to them using your planner, clearly identify and set your goals, share them with others, and don’t forget to catch up on your rest.
Zoe Talbot is the founder of The V.I.P. Planner, a planner tailored for Irish dancers to help them stay on track. Check out Zoe’s V.I.P Planner and training program at www.zoetalbottraining.com.
