If you’re Mick Jagger, maybe time is on your side. The rest of us have to plan how best to make the most of what little time we have. This is why we’re sharing our 12 Days of Time Management for Teens:
Plan Days Realistically
Have you ever planned the perfectly productive day, plotting out every hour in advance to maximize your ability to get stuff done? Did your day work out exactly as planned? More often than not, the answer is no.
One reason why learning to prioritize wisely matters so much is that the alternative, which is to fit everything that needs to be done into every day, is nigh impossible. Your jam-packed schedule may look flawless on paper, but what happens when any of the following occur?
- You run late
- You fall ill
- A planned activity runs long
- A planned activity is rescheduled
- An unplanned priority comes up
- You just need a break…
The best schedules leave ample time for life to happen, which is to say for chaos to assert itself on your best intentions. Build cushions between important activities into your schedule and accept each day’s productivity as your best effort. Equally important, set your bedtime as non-negotiable: you need a lot of sleep to do your best work!
The 12 Days of Time Management for Teens is inspired by and draws liberally from Etienne Garbugli’s excellent Slideshare presentation, 26 Time Management Hacks I Wish I’d Known at 20. Obviously, we think this advice is valuable even for students younger than 20!
Mike Bergin