Time ManagementTime management is one of the most critical life skills teens need to learn. Time management skills are not something we are born with, it is something developed and refined over time.
Time management is about organizing your brain onto paper so you don’t have to cram everything into your head. Our brains are not designed to hold that much information, we just need some help |
Why is Time Management Important?
- So we can complete everything we need to get done within a certain period
- Leads to less stress,
- More productivity
- Better mood
- Higher achievement
How Can Teachers Help? - Strategies To Teach Students:
Time Awareness:
Teach teens to have an awareness of time---Teens need to learn how long tasks actually take so they can better plan their schedules and learn how to anticipate any roadblocks or disruptions to that schedule.
Conduct a time assessment---they need to physically see how long they are spending on the tasks each day- there are formal worksheets you can have students complete or ask them to log the amount of time it takes to do certain tasks, like getting ready in the morning, getting to school, after school, work, extracurricular activities, time wasters, etc. --try to keep this log for a week and then reflect back.
Time assessments can help students understand WHY time management is important--builds motivation to create a habit Help teenagers find their own productive time periods--what time of day are they most productive?
|
Have A Schedule
Prioritize
- Write down your to-do list
- What do you have to do today?
- Group similar tasks together (by time or subject)
- Number the tasks in order you want to complete them
- Start with preferred or easiest task first- helps feel less overwhelmed
- Strategy: use sticky notes and create three columns: Must do/Urgent, in progress, big ideas or down the road
Set Goals
- Set long and short term goals
- Long term goals could be one week to one semester type goals
- Short term- within one week
- Divide long term goals into weekly/daily/hourly