Due to the safer-at-home measures, students all around the world are struggling to maintain a schedule at home that incorporates both work and relaxation. Effective time management is crucial for the next few weeks.
In this blog, you will find strategies to keep a good balance and get your work done.
When you think of time management, you must think in terms of long-term goals, middle, and short-term.
Long Term Time Management
Long-term schedules are for a longer period of time, something like a semester or a month. Since this school year is almost over, we recommend doing a long-term schedule that starts today and ends at the end of your school’s academic year.
Many teachers are staying away from assigning long-term assignments at this time of the school year. If this is your situation and your teachers have not assigned any major long-term projects, then it may be more productive for you to work on weekly plans instead of monthly plans.
Those of you who have both long-term and short-term projects, should do BOTH a monthly calendar and a weekly calendar. A calendar is a simple way to remember important dates, giving you a long-range view of dates to come. For example, if you have an important test in three weeks and it’s on your calendar, you’ll have a constant reminder that it is coming up. It’s important to put your calendar somewhere visible such as your refrigerator or the backside of the bathroom door.
Weekly/Monthly Calendar
Write down all important dates and events such as:
- Tests and Quizzes
- Birthdays
- Project Deadlines
- Extra Curricular Activities (Music Practice, Sports, College Prep. Stuff)
- Fun, Relaxation (A day of hiking, etc)
Short-Term Time Management
During your WEEKLY OR MONTHLY planning, we recommend you consider the following:
- Estimating the Correct Amount of Time for Tasks, (don’t plan for too much or too little time)
- Chunking Assignments into Smaller Pieces, each with their own Deadline
- Give Yourself Wiggle Room For Assignments (plan to finish a couple days before the due date)
- Schedule chunks of alternate study times should you need to reschedule study time if conflicts arise or if you need extra time.
- Use Checking-Off Lists (FOR WEEKLY)
For your day-to-day plans, we recommend you use a daily planner. We suggest you break down your days to ensure you get your assignments done.
During your daily planning, consider the following:
- Create a Reward System for when you complete your tasks
- Incorporating Breaks!
- Estimate Time for Tasks
- Use Checking Off Lists
- Minimizing Distractions (put that cell phone away)
- Schedule difficult work when you are least distracted and most alert (e.g. morning)
- Vary the type of study tasks (e.g. intersperse reading with writing activities)
Many of the strategies we’ve shared with you here come from our Study Skills Course. If you are interested in more about Time Managements, Developing Routines, or Creating Schedules, contact us! For more on Study Skills and Strategies, check out some of our other blogs.
Study Skills Every Student Should Know