Jaime What can’t really be seen, and yet, plays such a major role in all of our lives?
Time. It eludes us all, but it doesn’t have to. There are several things we can do to take control of our time, but the most important, I believe, is to first stop saying we don’t have enough time, and learn to prioritize the things we want to (and/or have to) do. Organization, consistency, routine, and sleep go a long way in helping minimize “time-related” stress. Here are a couple of suggestions that will enable students to feel more in control of their lives.
Organizing & The ‘To Do’ List:
Keeping too many ‘things to do’ in your head is counterproductive. Using a physical ‘to do’ list will help minimize stress and aid the development of skills that we will continue to use throughout life.
Create the ‘to do’ list, and use it with consistency! Our students have the CJ (Communication Journal) however, since we are all tied to our laptops these days, digital planning can allow us to be more efficient and creative with our organizing process. See the below example, I have my ‘to do list’ segmented into weekly table templates. At the end of each week, if there is something on my list that is still not checked off, but it does not have a specific deadline, I simply cut, copy & paste it to the following week.
Priority by deadline:
Each item on the list of things to do should include the deadline and include a checkbox (for the satisfaction of crossing a task off the list when completed (I do). I usually shave a day or two off the actual deadline for tasks with deadlines that are more than a week away, and also add them to the week they are actually due.
When the tasks and their deadlines are all listed, then I reorder the items on the list so that the most pressing obligation is at the top. Students should use their ‘to do’ list daily, adding items each day and checking off completed tasks. Ideally, for class related tasks, they should have their to-do list already up on their screen, so that they can add any work given with the corresponding deadline as soon as they are assigned.
Priority by color coding:
If colors help them more than numbers (dates), they can choose a color code that works for them (but still keep the dates!). When an item on my list has high priority, I change the font of the task to RED. When I have completed the task, I change the font to GREEN and move it to the bottom of the list.
If they are like me, and want both colors and deadlines, they should use both, but the point is, they NEED to implement and consistently utilize a system!
When students learn how to rank the items in their schedule in terms of importance, then they will be taking the first step in ‘making time’ work for them and easing the stress that often accompanies the feeling that they will never get anything done.
Helpful Tip: To those of our HS students who utter those famous words, “I don’t have enough time”, I would suggest that they reflect on their current time management skills. If through taking the linked quiz, they discover that they have none (highly doubtful!), then now is the time to develop them! As everyone has their own way of organizing, it can be quite helpful for students to ask their friends, older peers, and teachers what works best for them. Sometimes we have to use someone else's system before we learn what works best for us and can then begin to modify the approach to fit our own style.
The Night Time Routine & Sleep Habits:
The way we greet the morning sets the tone for all the things that follow throughout the day. Preparing the night before allows us to wake up and have a relaxed and confident start, knowing that we have everything we need for the day organized and ready to go!
- Pack backpack with everything needed for the next day
- Charge devices and pack them up! If computer/device is still charging, place backpack nearby for easy access to unplug and store away first thing in the morning
- Lay out clothing
- Pack up some snacks
- Fill water bottle
While getting our stuff ready the day before can be a time saver, no amount of organization will help us if we don’t have enough sleep!
We all need sleep in order to function at our best and we will never feel like we have enough time for anything while we are sleep deprived. It is vital that we establish a bedtime, and get sufficient sleep - at least 7-8 hours per night!
Helpful Tip: About an hour before going to bed, students should review what they will need for the next day. Usually this won’t vary too much, but it’s a good practice to begin. Again, consistency goes hand in hand with organization!