By: Erin Federigan

SAN JOSE, CALIF.— Junior Danny Ngo is juggling three AP classes, sports, family, studies, and friends.

Danny Ngo, a junior, balances his day to day life playing volleyball for the school boys volleyball varsity team, taking care of his family and school, all while maintaining a social life.

Danny Ngo warming up on the court.

Ngo’s tight schedule doesn’t have room for free time often so when he does, he makes sure to use it efficiently, following a schedule to manage his time properly. “I do an hour by hour thing where I study for one hour, take a 5-10 minute break, then one hour of homework, and it goes on for each subject.” Not only does Ngo use his free time efficiently but also took time over winter break to prepare himself for his classes the following week and the SAT. 

Just like anyone else, Ngo has made management mistakes before. Though, he says it’s helped him learn and grow from it, “I learned to limit my time I spend on video games and prioritize finishing my work first.”

Following this has helped Ngo turn in work before deadlines and stay consistent with finishing his homework. Besides prioritizing, Ngo has a schedule based on his day to day basis, “I adjust my schedule frequently, like, if I have volleyball games then I work on my homework either before or after the game, or if I have practice and so on,” said Ngo. 

Ngo says a schedule doesn’t have to be perfect and it can always change depending on unexpected emergencies or tasks.

Ngo believes having a set goal for yourself is important in order to complete day to day tasks, “Whenever I feel unmotivated, I try to encourage myself that I’m doing this for my future, a stable job, and a good source of income.” Ngo believes taking a break is just as important since taking breaks in between his work makes sure he isn’t overworked or stressed.

Advice Ngo gives for people with a tight schedule is “use any free time to be productive to have time for yourself later on” and to not overwork yourself by taking consistent breaks whenever needed.