Learning & School Focus

The Power Play: Your Plan for a Purposeful Study Period

Rhema Adelaja · National Champion & 4x DUX · August 2026 · 7 min read

You have free periods at school, but you waste them. This means more work at night when you need to recover. Here is a clear, three-step plan to use that time well, reduce your evening workload, and get genuine rest.

The bell rings. You have a free period. You find a seat in the library or the study hall. You feel the weight of the day, the training session from this morning, the one still to come. You pull out your books, but your phone is heavier. You tell yourself it will just be for a minute. You will check your messages. You will scroll for a bit. Then you will get to work. But you know how this ends. An hour later, the bell rings again. Nothing is done. The work is still waiting for you tonight, when you should be recovering.

I have been there. I have lived that exact cycle. As a student-athlete, your time is your most valuable resource. Your energy is a close second. Wasting a free period does not just cost you an hour. It costs you recovery. It costs you focus. It costs you the sleep that fuels your performance. This is not about being a perfect student. It is about being a smart athlete. It is about protecting the time you need to rest and be ready for the next day. There is a better way. It is a system I built out of necessity, and it works.

The Real Cost of a Wasted Hour

Let’s be direct about what is happening in those lost periods. The biggest enemy is your phone. It feels like a harmless break, but the evidence is clear. Research shows that students who use their phones during academic time can score a letter grade and a half lower than those who do not. The damage goes beyond just the time spent scrolling. Every time you look at your phone, you break your concentration. It can take up to 20 minutes to refocus after a single distraction. If you check your phone just three times, your entire hour is gone.

This distraction has a direct impact on your life as an athlete. When you push your schoolwork into the evening, you cut into essential recovery time. The world's leading sports bodies are not guessing when they talk about rest. For teenage athletes, experts recommend 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night for proper recovery and growth. Getting that work done during the school day is not just a study tip. It is a performance strategy. It is how you protect your body and mind. It is how you ensure you are at your best when it matters most.

My Story: From Scrambling to Strategic

I remember the feeling of constant pressure. I would finish an afternoon training session completely drained, only to face a mountain of homework. I had free periods during the day, but I saw them as a chance to switch off. I would chat with friends or lose myself online. I told myself I deserved the break. But the work did not disappear. At ten o'clock at night, I would be at my desk, exhausted, trying to understand complex ideas. My grades were okay, but I was always tired. My performance in training felt inconsistent.

The change came when I started treating my study periods like training sessions. I realised they were not 'free' time. They were opportunities. I was already at school, already in a place designed for learning. I just needed a plan. I started small. I decided to use just one study period a week with total focus. No phone. No casual chat. Just me and one specific task. The difference was immediate. Finishing one piece of homework during the day felt like a huge victory. It meant one less thing to worry about that night. Slowly, I built a system. That system is what I want to share with you.

Your Three-Step Power Play

This is not about finding more motivation. It is about building a routine that works even when you are tired. It is a simple, three-step plan to take control of your study periods and win back your evenings.

Step 1: The Pre-Game Plan

You would never start a match without a plan. Treat your study period the same way. Before the period begins, take two minutes to decide exactly what you will achieve. Do not just think 'I'll do some homework'. Be specific. Write it down. 'I will complete the first ten maths problems' or 'I will write the outline for my history essay'. Choose the most urgent or difficult task first. This is when your brain is freshest. Time management experts advise athletes to use a planner to schedule tasks for a reason. It removes the stress of deciding what to do, so you can just do it. This is a contract with yourself. You are committing to a small, achievable goal.

Step 2: The Deep Work Zone

Your environment dictates your focus. To do deep work, you must eliminate distractions. The most important rule is the hardest. Your phone must be out of sight. Not face down on the desk. Put it in your bag, on silent. If you cannot trust yourself, give it to a teacher or a friend. The goal is to make it difficult to access. Find a quiet spot, away from your friends if you know they will distract you. Then, work in short, focused bursts. Set a timer for 20 minutes. For those 20 minutes, you do nothing but the single task you planned. When the timer goes off, you can take a two-minute break to stretch, but do not touch your phone. Then go again. This method respects your limited energy and builds momentum.

Step 3: The Cool-Down

Just like in training, a proper cool-down is important. Do not work right up until the bell rings and then rush out in a panic. In the last five minutes of the period, stop your work. Take a moment to review what you have accomplished. Acknowledge your effort. This reinforces the positive behaviour. Then, pack your bag slowly and deliberately. Think about what is next in your day. This brief transition period helps your brain switch from academic focus to whatever comes next, whether it is another class or heading to the changing rooms. It creates a calm, controlled end to your session, leaving you feeling organised instead of flustered.

This is About More Than Grades

Using your study periods well is not a school skill. It is a life skill. It is an elite athlete skill. It is about taking control of your time, managing your energy, and prioritising your recovery.

Every hour you reclaim during the day is an hour you give back to your body at night. It is an hour for proper nutrition, for connecting with family, for stretching, and most importantly, for sleep. This system is your defence against burnout. It is how you build a sustainable career as a student-athlete, where both parts of that title can thrive. The work you do in a quiet library on a Tuesday afternoon directly connects to the performance you deliver on Saturday.

You have a choice. You can let these periods drain away, adding stress to your evenings. Or you can use them as a strategic tool. Your next study period is your first opportunity. Choose one task. Put your phone away for just twenty minutes. See how it feels. That is the start of your power play.