Time Management Skills for High School Students

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Laura from youngwritersworkshops.com, and I'm going to talk about time management skills for high school students. Managing your time, using your time well is a challenge for high school students, often, because of so many distractions like communication by email or phone. So really, setting aside a block of time that will be uninterrupted without phone, texting, email, talking with study friends -- that can be a really helpful major step for time management. So create a schedule and work with your high school student to create a schedule that will really be something you can really stick to. You can be overly ambitious and say you're going to block out three hours, but something more manageable is probably more likely to succeed because you'll be able to really stick with it. So for example, you might say, you know, for a 40-minute block, no email or no phone, and then really be able to focus for those 40 minutes. Look at the other things that are pulling on your time or your student's time, and that might involve after-school sports or a job. So find those blocks where the days when the student isn't working or having a practice, and then really use that uninterrupted time to the best of your ability. You also can use some little tricks to make better use of the time that's not in an uninterrupted block. So for example, for vocabulary or learning a language, you can create small flashcards that you carry with you...your student can carry with them to make use of a few downtime minutes. For example, waiting at a bus stop or for an appointment, you can review...use that time that would otherwise be spent, you know, reading a magazine to accomplish some study goals. Definitely try and do as much study as possible during daylight hours. There's been some research that people get things done so much more quickly during daylight. Things take longer at night -- we're slower and we're not at our best. So encourage the use of study halls during school time, and doing homework right after school as opposed to waiting 'til late at night to do it when the student might not be at their best or the most alert. Another good idea to keep in mind is getting a good night's sleep. It's related to the previous one. Sleep will help to make you more alert and make you...the students will have a better use of their time if they are well-rested. So those are some ideas about time management for high school students."