One of the most common - and important - questions we get from students year on year is how to best manage their time. Without clear time management strategies, it’s easy for the year to slip away and for students to fall behind, and nobody wants that.

As parents and guardians, here are some things you might like to consider to help your child put in place effective time management strategies.

 

Study timetables can be effective

A clear advantage of study timetables is that they provide structure on a day-to-day level, and on a week-to-week level. 

The general idea is that study timetables clearly articulate which periods are allocated to study, and sometimes specify which subjects should be studied at that time. Implementing a study timetable like this can result in strong study habits; for example, students might first study after school on a Monday because that’s the allocated time on their study timetable, but eventually build the habit to the point that studying after school on Monday is just part of their regular routine.

That’s not to say that study timetables can’t be flexible or change, however. For example, in the lead-up to exams, students might have more time on their hands, necessitating a change in routine. Regardless, the added structure is an effective method for a lot of students through their high school studies. If your child would like to try to implement one of their own, you might like to sit down with them to map out their existing commitments, identify points of rest, and highlight portions of the week that could be used as effective study times.

 

To-do lists can also be effective

However, it’s important to note that study timetables don’t necessarily work for every student. Some students and ex-students (read: the author of this present article) find them a bit confining, and opt for other, somewhat less-structured strategies. One popular strategy is a daily to-do list.

One possible strategy for building a daily to-do list includes:

• If something doesn’t get done, it should automatically carry across to the next day’s to-do list.

• Items should be very specific, measurable, and achievable.

• It’s unrealistic to expect that every single item will be ticked off the list every single day - we’re not perfect beings, else we probably wouldn’t need the to-do list in the first place!

You might like to practise writing a good to-do list with your child, or help them make the listed tasks very specific. You can also act as a point of accountability, reminding them to follow up on items they don’t get through on any given day.

Another consideration is that study timetables and to-do lists aren’t mutually exclusive; the former could be used for long-term time management, whilst the latter might be more useful for day-to-day organisation and time allocation.

 

Goal-setting helps clarify task necessity

One part of time management is working out which tasks are the most necessary, and which tasks are likely to take the longest. Setting clear goals and re-visiting those goals regularly can help highlight which tasks are the most important or time-sensitive.

Specific goals can help students allocate their time more effectively, in much the same way that more specific to-do lists typically provide more direction than vaguer ones.

It’s also important to review goals and their progress. You could take 10-15 minutes to discuss goals for the new term with your child through the preceding holiday period, or at the start of each new term. Early planning in this way can help avoid rushed or reactive thinking.

 

Distractions really hurt time management

Even with all the time management planning in the world, time will still slip away if your child is too distracted when trying to study. What could be an effective, useful 20-minute study session might turn into an hour-long, unfocused session, resulting in lost time and productivity.

If study and rest periods are more clearly defined, you might find that your child gets more effective study done, and has longer to rest. Of course, that’s much easier said than done, particularly in the age of 24/7 communication and connectivity.

Speaking as a former student, there were two things that really helped me. The first was putting my phone away through study sessions to avoid notification distractions entirely. I preferred working with pen and paper in general, but was still tempted to scroll the internet or social media applications a lot of the time. Making a conscious decision to avoid that really helped.

The second (related) strategy was setting up a dedicated study area. I relied on my family to help with this, settling on a specific part of the house for my study purposes. I didn’t do anything there but study, and I didn’t study elsewhere in the house. Obviously this isn’t always possible, and people’s living situations differ greatly, but I appreciated the help of my family to respect when I was attempting to study and attempt to limit distractions accordingly.

 

Time management can have a considerable impact on study outcomes - and also stress levels throughout the year. I hope this article has helped facilitate some ideas on how to assist your child in their own time management journey throughout their high school studies.