Managing jobs, school assignments, daily tasks and more, can be very complex and difficult to handle for many high school students.
Even though classes have been shortened to help keep students occupied and on task (learn more in The New Normal), in the long run students are now getting a bigger workload assigned to them. It is a difficult change to go from five, to seven subjects and having to keep up with assignments, quizzes, homework and even tests for all seven of those classes. However, with having the right headspace and time management skills,students can combat the stress that comes with the difficult change.
The facts
Time management is an important skill to have, especially when you have a lot of things going on. You might have an essay and an assignment due the next day, on top of working a five until closing shift the same night.
Procrastination is a huge factor of time management problems.
According to Jobera.com, about 88% of people procrastinate for one hour a day.
You might say ‘I’m going to do my essay at home instead of in class,’ then arrive home and simply forget. The problem with that is that life can get busy and unpredictable at any moment, so it is best to knock it out when able.
With information from wellbeing.uw.edu, finding time to do things like studying at home can be very difficult. Many factors can contribute to the way one may study with things such as family, pets, electronics and more.
When studying at home you are forced to find a deeper motivation than at school to actually do the work. You also need to have a lot of self-control to stay on task and continue your work until its completion.
Helpful resources and tips
Some helpful tips would be to have a specific area where you study with limited distractions so you can make sure to stay on task.
Another good technique is to get small goals and give yourself little rewards. For example, if I do work for 30 minutes straight, I will allow myself phone time for 10 minutes. This will motivate you more because instead of 20 more questions, it is only 20 more minutes.
If you have too much on your plate and hold off one assignment to do another, creating a reminder on your phone is a good way to hold yourself accountable for your work.
Setting a schedule, also known as “time blocking,” is a great way to get work done effectively. Time blocking is the setting of specific start and finish times for when you do a certain task. This can be helpful because it gets you in the mindset of doing things on a schedule as well as getting things done in an allotted time slot.
Another technique similar to time blocking is creating a to-do list. Writing down every task you need to complete in a certain amount of time will help you visualize and motivate yourself to accomplish what you need to do.
Planners are also a tool used for managing your time. You can simply write down all the tasks or activities you have to complete during the month or even the year. You can also set reminders for things you feel you could forget like birthdays and holidays.
As we know, planners are not always easily accessible due to the fact that it’s on paper and we won’t always have a pen on us or whatever the case may be. Planner apps are a good alternative option. App planners are great options because they are easily accessible, and you can write down anything, at the tips of your fingers.
An app with good reviews is “Todoist.” It is described as a simple and effective tool to check off and set events you need to complete. This app is not only accessible on mobile devices but also desktop.
Another app that could be efficient is “Structured-Daily Planner.” This application is a little different however because it is more of a day planner. You can also create a to-do list, calendar and even track your habits to help you get out of bad habits quicker.
Time management is a hard concept to master, mainly because you have to learn it on top of all the tasks you need to complete. If you truly break your tasks down into pieces, it makes it so much easier to complete them with accuracy.