Tips on Managing Your Time

Alyssa Carolan

As the new school year begins, the constant flow of homework, sports, jobs, etc. begins, too.  This is a guide that will hopefully help you manage your time successfully and balance school with your personal life.

 

Tip #1 – Have a physical or online planner.

Not only will this help you manage your time, it will help keep you organized and turn assignments in on time.  It’s always helpful to write down your homework from classes, when your practices or games are, or when you have work.  This is just the first step in helping you stay on top of everything you need to do.

 

Tip #2 – Google calendar is really handy.

Since we all have chromebooks, an online calendar is always accessible to us.  A written planner can do a lot, but an online calendar on a computer you use nearly every day does wonders.  When you add a class onto Google Classroom, Google automatically adds whatever’s assigned in the Classroom right onto your calendar.  You can even add your own events or notes onto it.

 

Tip #3 – When working on homework, do the hard stuff first.

This may seem backwards, but when you accomplish that writing assignment you had for English, you’ll feel so much better knowing all you have is easier stuff left to do.  Depending on when you decide to start it, your brain has had a break from school or your brain is still focused on what you learned in school.  Doing the difficult stuff ensures the quality of your work will be that much better.

 

Tip #4 – Do your homework as soon as possible.

We all know the struggle of not wanting to do your homework as soon as you get home from school or sports, but it’s the best way to do it.  Your brain will still be in “school mode” and the day’s lessons will still be fresh.  Say it’s Friday and you decide to do your homework Sunday night.  This is a mistake because a) you won’t want to do it Sunday night and b) your brain will have forgotten a lot of what you learned on Friday.  The bottom line is, complete your homework as soon as you can.

 

Tip #5 – Put the distractions away.

A huge part of time management is putting your phone away and taking the books out.  When you get a text from a friend and you’re doing your homework, don’t answer it.  Nine times out of ten, it can wait.  Your phone is probably your biggest distraction, but having the TV on while doing homework is a huge one as well.  The constant background noise will constantly test your focus.  The easiest way to be efficient is to not be distracted.  Easier said than done, but your homework will be done is half the time if you focus on your studies and not your surroundings.

 
Being a high schooler comes with a lot of responsibility and it is stressful, but it can be so much less stressful if you know how to manage your time.  If you don’t procrastinate, stay organized, and ignore distractions, you’ll have a very successful high school career.  These tips also transfer into the real world, not just high school.  Learning how to successfully manage your time at a younger age will help you for the rest of your life.  It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.