Time is a funny thing. Scrolling on Instagram might seem like it only takes twenty minutes, but soon enough, three hours have passed. Especially with school just starting back, it seems like it takes five hours to finish homework, but three minutes to watch a show. This is one of the reasons why procrastination is so easy to give in to. And let’s be honest, we would rather watch two hours of a show than do two hours of math homework. If you lack inspiration to be productive and seize the day, try talking to sophomore Imana Allen.
Allen tries to consistently take advantage of the time she’s given and warns against falling into the traps of social media. While she does have high standards for herself, Allen admits that mistakes are unavoidable and one bad quiz does not determine everything. However, she tries to finish her homework and studying with plenty of time, so there is plenty of time to hang out with friends and family. “It’s definitely about prioritizing what you want…you can’t procrastinate,” she said.
She is not only involved in many organizations, she is also a leader in them. Currently, Allen serves as FLBA’s parliamentarian while intending to campaign for class president. She is working to start a USABO (USA Biology Olympiad) team as she continues to run a tutoring program called Intelligence with Imana. Allen is an actress and recently filmed a sitcom called Family Vibez, coming to Prime Video soon. Some of her friends wonder how she has enough time for all her activities (also being part of an acting conservatory and participating in volleyball at Atlanta Performance Volleyball). Sophomore Marianne Tuten commented on the resiliency of Allen. “It’s just mind blowing to me how she can accomplish so much in such little time,” she said.
Beyond being involved in many activities outside the classroom, Allen remains an eager learner inside the classroom. She strives for excellence and loves to ask questions. It doesn’t go unnoticed either; Spanish teacher Dr. David Beek taught Allen last year and highlighted her maturity level. “Imana is an exemplary student. She was one of the few who really wanted to learn Spanish,” he said. “Tell Imana if she ever needs a letter of recommendation, I’ve got her.”
Allen often says that she would do so much more if she had more than one life. But, she can’t do everything, she simply isn’t wired that way. There aren’t enough hours in the day to do so, and eventually her body needs rest. The key to Allen’s productivity and ability to balance a full schedule isn’t to “do everything” or never look at social media or never watch TV, but simply to appreciate and use her time wisely. Sometimes we need to lock in on homework, sometimes we need dinner with friends, sometimes we need to study for that test tomorrow, and sometimes we might even need a three-hour “five-minute break” to recover from a long week.
