You can balance studies and hobbies by treating your hobby as a scheduled reward and a recharge, not as a rival to your studies. Hobbies are not a waste of time, because they reduce stress and actually improve focus when you return to study, as long as they have a fixed place in your routine.
Make a simple timetable that includes both. When you plan dedicated study blocks and a fixed slot for your hobby, you stop feeling guilty during your hobby and distracted during study. Both get their own protected time.
Use your hobby as a break between study sessions. A bit of music, sport, sketching or gaming after a focused study block refreshes your mind. The trick is keeping it time-bound so a short break does not become the whole evening.
Prioritise according to the season. During normal weeks, you can give hobbies generous time. As major exams approach, it is reasonable to reduce hobby time temporarily, but never cut it to zero, because that leads to burnout.
Example: A Class 10 student in Kochi who loved football scheduled an hour of play every evening after studying. The exercise cleared his head, and he found he studied more sharply afterwards than when he sat all evening forcing himself to focus.
Choose active recharge over passive scrolling. Hobbies like sport, music or art genuinely refresh you, while endless scrolling often leaves you more drained. Pick breaks that actually restore your energy.
One practical tip: Use your hobby as motivation. Tell yourself, after I finish these two topics, I get 45 minutes of guitar. Linking study to a reward you love makes both your work and your downtime more enjoyable.