Students in HK are some of the busiest people in the city. Most of you wake up at 5.30am, hustle to get ready to get onto the bus or the MTR by 6.00am, travel to get to school by 7.00am, take a break to have some breakfast and to then enjoy some quiet time before class begins. When the first bell goes you’ve really already been to work for 2 hours just trying to get to school on time. I have a friend who told me a story of his early working days as a trader in Hong Kong. He had to be at his desk and trading at 6.30am. God only knows what time he had to get up to make it to work on time. He also had to take a ferry as well. All of this pushing takes a toll on your mind and your body. Is life really supposed to be this difficult?

After 6 hours of intensive learning at school we come to end of the school day. What do you do next? I have asked many of you what exactly do you do after school and you have given me many mixed responses. Most of you say you either go home and study some more or there is an extra class that you have to attend. Some of you admit to just going home and spending time chatting to friends on whatsapp or playing games on your phone and then eventually picking up a book, doing some homework and then studying. Which approach works best for you?

In the ancient monasteries the monks believed in living life in three separate chunks. There were 24 hours in the day, 8 hours were for sleeping, 8 hours were for praying and going to church and the final 8 hours were for working. We are not monks but there is some wisdom in their strategy. Medical professionals will tell you that getting enough sleep is important. Especially for all of you as young people, you need your sleep because your minds and bodies are growing rapidly. Some of you have gotten taller since I’ve seen you last before the summer holidays. Breakfast is also touted as being the most important meal of the day. So many studies have been conducted by medical researchers and they have found that there is a definite link between student performance and the eating of breakfast. Here’s a hint – do you want to do better on your upcoming exams? Get enough sleep, so many of you tell me that you go to bed so late at night, you need 8 hours rest and eat a good breakfast every day. While we are sleeping our bodies are fasting and so when we wake up we are hungry and we need something to eat. While we are at school we work hard, there is no doubt about that. All of you are hardworking students and I applaud you for your diligence. So 8 hours for sleep and 8 hours for work, what do we do with the last 8 hours?

There has to be a balance. You have to do something fun for some of those 8 hours. Yes studying is important, as is the extra classes you might need to go to but there has to be an outlet for having fun. Many educational researchers have found a link between physical activity and improved academic performance so taking a break to play a game of football or basketball with your friends might help you to score higher on that next test. Also one or two pieces of educational research have suggested that there may be a link between some leisure activities and improved academic performance. Of course what is fun for you might not be fun for someone else so everything is relative. Maybe you like to play a musical instrument or perhaps you have a hobby. Take time out and organize the hours in your day and success will be yours.