So Much To Do, So Little Time!
by Hanna Bratton
MyLife 24-7 Contributing Author
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
John Lennon
YourLife: It’s Thursday afternoon and you’re at soccer practice after school. You’re worried about having enough time to finish your homework tonight because you’re supposed to babysit your two-year old sister who will tear apart the house if you take your eyes off of her for ten seconds.
As you look at the dirt spots on the field, and wonder whether the dirt is silt, clay or loam (the topic of today’s biology class), you suddenly remember that you were supposed to meet your biology teacher after school to go over the wrong answers on your last test! You want to leave practice, but you have a big game against the best team in the league tomorrow.
How could this have happened!? With so much going on in your life right now, it’s hard to balance your homework, after-school activities, and family responsibilities – not to mention finding time to hang out with your friends!
So Now What?
Time Management – One of the best time management tools is a planner that you can refer to whenever you know you have an obligation at a specific time. Carry it with you 24-7 and write down every single practice, upcoming event, homework assignment…even birthdays! That way, you’ll know how to manage your time wisely and you’ll be able to balance several responsibilities at once.
Some Planner Tips:
- Choose a planner that works for you. If you’re the type of person who keeps things in your pockets, then a small, pocket-sized planner will probably be the best choice for you. If you carry a backpack, a planner the size of a notebook may serve you best. Decorate your planner with labels, bumper stickers, or whatever will motivate you to use it!
- Use it everyday. It is extremely important that using your planner becomes part of your daily routine. Make it a habit to take it out and write down homework assignments after every class. Take thirty seconds at breakfast to look over your responsibilities for the day.
- Celebrate small successes! Draw a line or checkbox next to each task or event that you write down in your planner. When you’re done with it, check it off. If you’re able to check off everything you wrote down for the day, bravo!
Prioritize – It is important to involve yourself in a variety of things, but don’t overbook yourself. You don’t need to cram school, practice, dinner, homework, and socializing with friends all in one day! If you know you have a test tomorrow and all your friends are going to the movies tonight, don’t worry about missing out. You can’t always take tests a second time around, but there will be plenty more opportunities to do fun things with your friends.
Have Fun! – You could spend seven hours a day on homework and get straight As, but it doesn’t mean you live a balanced and healthy lifestyle! It is important to make time for a hobby or to plan a fun activity with a friend at least once a week. School should always come first, but your keeping your sanity is just as important as getting good grades!
What to learn more?
Collegeboard – Managing standardized tests and helping to improve achievement by middle and high school students.
Schoolishard – Blog written with the intent of using knowledge and creativity to help students along their educational path.
Gearfire - Student productivity and organization blog, bringing tips for students’ academic success.
About – Articles written by experts on just about everything.