Time management is essential when you're in school. With classes, house chores, extra curricular activities, working and finding time for friends; time management is a 'have-to'. Sure, we want to have fun, but isn't the idea of a good education, to help you to get a better and higher paying job? Save the fun things for the weekend when all of the chores and assignments are finished. It is kind of like when your parents go to work everyday, but relax on the weekend. NOT!! Chances are, they are playing catch up and trying to get everything finished that they didn't have time for during the week.
Wouldn't it be great to set up your own schedule, manage your time and still have fun in life? Maybe, this time, you can teach your parents something about time management.
Set up a calendar with all of your activities, including the time that it takes to complete each one. Include things like chores, eating, homework, talking to friends on the phone, going on the computer etc. Be specific because this will tell you where you are wasting time and in what areas you need change in your schedule. Such as you go to school from 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. however, it takes you time to get from home to school and back again, so you have to add that in, which would be: School-7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m..
Now write down the days that you know that you will have tests, essays to hand in and special assignments that are planned ahead. Now you know, when the assignment is due and how many days that you have to accomplish it. Are you going to do a little on it everyday or are you going to spend one entire evening on it? Plan ahead and save time later.
Do this for everyday of the week and as things come in for the following week; start your list for that week.
How to tell if you are wasting time?
If you have planned for your homework to take 2 hours and it takes 4, you have wasted time. It could be that you didn't work on it at a steady pace and were distracted or maybe you didn't understand it. Whatever the reason is, you have used up 2 hours that you didn't plan for.
Maybe you have decided that you can talk to your friend on the phone for 30 minutes, but the conversation takes an hour. You have lost 30 minutes.
Does that mean that you are always behind schedule? No it means that you should pay closer attention to the time that you use and use it wisely.
If you know that Thursday night there is a big basketball or football game that you want to go to, but there is a test on Friday, it would be wise to study on Wednesday so all you have to do is read over your notes to refresh your mind.
Get the idea, good time management is all in the planning.
What if you get home from school and your chore for the week is starting supper, doing the wash and putting it away. UGH!! That is one whole night shot and you haven't even started your homework. I know, your thinking, "Okay Smartie, tell me how I am going to save time on this mess!"
Well, I am glad that you asked.
Come in the house, put your books in your room and throw a load of clothes in the washer. Peel the potatoes, put them on the stove, along with the veggies in another pan. Now, are you going to broil the meat, fry it or just heat it up?
Oh, by the way, your clothes are finished washing, you better go and throw them in the dryer and another load in the washer.
Time to fix the meat, the fastest and healthiest way of cooking meat is broiling. So put the meat in the broiler, put the pan on the second shelf from the top and turn on low, After all, we have to wait for the potatoes to finish cooking, so it can take a while to cook the meat.
Meanwhile, set the table, and if you have time, you an start to read that chapter that you have to answer the questions to for your homework. Don't forget to check the meat every once in a while so it doesn't burn and remember to flip it over. Set a timer to remind you if necessary.
Okay, the meat is finished cooking, turn off the oven and crack th oven door a little so that it doesn't remain too hot in the oven. Oh and one more thing; your clothes are finished drying, you can fold the first load, stick the second load in the dryer and if you have another one, throw it in the washer. Now fold the clothes and put them away.
If you time this right, Sometimes, you can have supper ready to go on the table and the wash all finished and put away, before mom and dad get home from work!! Now, 'That is Time Management'!
By the way, the time that you saved may even give you an extra 30 minutes to put towards your homework, to work ahead in a class, do extra credit or call and talk to a friend after supper.
Jan Hayner is a Professional Organizer and creator of www.organizingandcleaning.com, she offers tips, hints and shortcuts to everyday problems with organizing your home, work, family and life. She also offers shortcuts on cleaning your house, recipes for cleaners and tips to make the jobs faster and easier.
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Good question Salena! After your activities, take a little time to rest and catch up with what is hapening at home. The brain will thank you for the break! Don't forget to eat healthy so that your body will work at top performance.
Then, take a bath or catch up on emails (use only 30 minutes for this). It will help you to stop thinking about what you are missing.
Then, hit those books! Work at 30 minute intervals and then take a break, even if it is just getting something to eat or saying 'hi' to the rest of the family so they know that you are still alive! Then get back to work.
Eventually you will have a set routine according to the subjects that you are working on because you will automatically know how long it will take you to get-er-done.
As you become more and more organized, things will go faster because you already have things in your brain that you won't have to go over again, you will know the answers without having to look them up and you won't have as much homework because you will have most of it finished in school.
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