How To Keep A Good Schedule When You’re A Teen

As a teenager you have a lot of things on your mind and in your schedule book. You have to juggle your school responsibilities, do your chores at home, go out with your friends and have a part time job. There is a lot to handle when you are a teenager, and it is hard to know how to keep a good schedule. Below are some suggestions that should help you to feel at least a little more in control of your day to day activities. After all, when you have a good schedule you are better able to enjoy the things that you will do during the day.

• Prioritize, prioritize, and prioritize! Prioritizing the things that you have to do in a day may be the hardest thing to do. Prioritizing involves looking at which activities or projects will take the longest, which are hardest and which are due or are happening the soonest.

• You need to figure out a balance between the activities that you are not excited to do and the activities that you are excited to do. Putting off things like doing homework and studying for tests may be alright for a little while, but soon things will pile up, and you will be so backed up with school that you will not have time to enjoy leisure time.

• Make a list of things that you have to do. Start with daily lists that you can check items off of once you have completed your tasks. Then try to make a weekly list of things that you need to do. Checking items off of a list helps some people to look back on all that they were able to do in a week and can help you to see just how much is possible when you really try hard to manage your time.

• If you are finding that you are unable to get finished with all the things on your list, assign time limits to each item or break large projects down into more manageable parts. For example, if you have a research project that is due in a month, set aside the first week for researching, the second for forming a rough draft and the third and fourth weeks for revising, gathering any additional information and having others review your paper.

• The key to keeping a good schedule is self discipline. You cannot expect for anyone to tell you exactly what you should be doing at any given point in the day. If you decide that you need to set aside Tuesday afternoons for studying, then it is up to you to stick to it. Keeping a schedule is not a gift that will just fall into your lap. You have to be willing to work hard in order to receive the benefits.

• Plan for imperfections. You are still a kid and should enjoy a little spontaneity now and then. Set aside some time in the week to do the fun things that occur unexpectedly.

• When you procrastinate doing something, you are in essence recognizing that that thing is not important to you. Although you may not enjoy studying for a math test, you can surely recognize that doing well in a class is ultimately going to be for your own benefit. Just get it done.

• Have a quiet spot and time where you can study and do school work undisturbed. If you are interrupted, try to quickly get back to the project that you were working on. Minimize the time of distractions when possible.

• Ask your parents for help. Parents have to establish good schedules in order to run an organized household. Your parents can give you advice on how you can improve your time management skills as well. Also, if you are feeling overwhelmed by your schedule, ask your parents for help.