Hey y’all. So I’ve recently realized what I might have gotten myself into…
I’m a 4.0 student who in freshman year took 1 AP and sophomore year took 2 (AP Lang & APUSH), getting a 5 and 4 respectively on the exams. I didn’t find school difficult whatsoever this year (except for a little bit in STEM subjects like chemistry, first time I was exposed to it) but I am prone to procrastination and slacked off a lot during second semester. My most time consuming EC during first semester was debate which probably takes between 5-7 hours a week on average (not that much, I know). Then, second semester, I participated in school plays, which are slightly more time consuming - like 12-15 hours.
Next year, I will be a Full IB Diploma candidate with 3 IB HL’s (Bio, world, English) as well as Honors Spanish 5, Honors Pre Calc, AP CP Gov, and TOK. For first sem, I am doing debate AND i signed myself up for an internship with a local political figure in which I would conduct research & attend constituent meetings. This takes 10 hours / week, so my total EC commitment (if you include clubs) now comes out to closer to 17-19 hours a week as well as the IBDP. I know many kids manage schedules like this because they are varsity athletes or intense musicians, but I’m not exactly used to it. Am I setting myself up? Any tips?
Find out when your most productive times are. For me, that’s when it’s dark out. Therefore, I do chores, dinner, and showers before the sun sets, then I do homework. Acknowledge that you won’t have as much free time, but before you say, ‘I can’t do this,’ think back to what you have been doing in that extra time. Was it a lot of TV, video games, or social media? It was for me, and once I got past that, I realized that cutting those things out isn’t a bad thing. I deleted some apps off my phone (I’m looking at you, iFunny) and acknowledged that I would miss some things on Instagram. I’d also encourage you to utilize “little time”. Did you finish lunch a few minutes early? Great, do three of the problems on the math assignment. Did the teacher finish teaching a little early? Cool, define those chemistry terms. Are you in the waiting room at the orthodontist? Pull out your phone and review that Spanish vocab on Quizlet. Basically, I’m trying to say that you have more time than you think. It’s simply either hiding in plain sight or being sucked up by things you’ll probably be happier without.
This is all true and something I’ve learned now that I’m in a university. Planning your time wisely can go a long way into getting more study time in. I suggest looking up some effective study tips and finding out what works best for you.
Good luck! 
I think you are not doing too much…there are many other top students who are doing what you are. Like they say, plan your time wisely and you will be fine.