7 Time Management Strategies for Student Success

Time management is a challenge for everyone, but especially middle- and high-school students. What with classes, homework, extra-curricular clubs and sports, family, friends, part-time jobs and more, their time is truly NOT their own. How can you help your kid master basic time management strategies? Here are some helpful tools and tips.

1. Use an academic planner to help your child plan and stay on track. Whether they use a paper planner (like our Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner) or an electronic calendar, make sure their planner is set up as a grid so they can see their entire week at a glance. Record all class assignments, after-school activities, and work commitments, even plans with friends. This will allow them to know what they need to do AND see when they have pockets of time to plan to get things done.

2. Routinely remind your student to do the thing they least want to do first—that way, when it’s done and he moves on to a task he finds more enjoyable, it’s extra satisfying.

3. Analog clocks (as opposed to digital ones) show that time moves and lets your student know where she stands in relation to the rest of the hour or day. Hang an analog clock in every room that your student uses (yes, even the bathroom!) so that he can see the “sweep” of time.

4. Make tasks achievable. Your student is more likely to complete assignments that are broken down into manageable parts. It’s much easier to write one paragraph for an essay in an afternoon than it is to try to complete an entire research paper.

5. If your student has to tackle a long-term project, begin by collaborating with him to clarify the project and its goal. Then, work backward, breaking down the big project into specific smaller tasks. Assign deadlines for each one, relying on visual organizational aids like planners, sticky notes on calendars or wipe boards to record all-important information and deadlines.

6. Help your student become more knowledgeable about how much time it really takes to do things. The best reality check: have him jot downtime estimates for certain tasks, then compare those guesses to the actual amount of time it took to complete the tasks. The more a student sees how long it takes him to do something start to finish, the better he will be able to develop a useful, reliable “time sense.”

7. Devices such as timers and buzzers can help a student self-monitor and keep track of time. (The Time Timer is our favorite!) For example, during quiet or reading time, a timer placed on a student’s desk can help her know exactly where the time is going and also help foster awareness of when transitions to other activities will take place.

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