Time Management for Students

Top Time Management for students that will help you get more things done, stay organized and prepare well for your future.

Importance of Time Management for Children

What wealth can’t buy; something that can never be returned; something once lost is lost forever: is TIME.

And if you don’t manage it, all you can do is regret.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a school/college student or a professional or a businessmen, one quality we all need to acquire is the art of managing time. Because time flies, but always, WE are the pilots.

You can’t make more hours in each day. Yet you can put more purpose and focus in each hour.

What you can do is make the commitment to yourself to make each moment count for something meaningful and valuable.

Students nowadays are into a lot of activities and the only way to do justice to them all is by incorporating effective time management techniques.

Procrastinating work can never help you climb the ladder of success.

Here are some tips to enable students to manage their time.

The pebble experiment

Many have read about the popular concept of using rocks, golf balls and marbles to denote priorities in life on the internet. This concept lends itself to a model which can be used to explain the importance of prioritizing one’s life to children.

“It’s important to teach kids how to prioritize activities in their life. I would first put the big pebbles in a transparent jar and ask kids if they think it is full. If they say yes, I’ll add smaller pebbles to the jar and ask them the same question.

I’ll repeat the process with sand and water simultaneously until the jar is actually full. I’ll tell them that their day, week and month can be prioritized like this. I would then show them that if I did less important or urgent activities first, there would be no time to perform the more important ones. I would denote this by filling the jar with sand and water first, thus leaving no space for big pebbles”.

Make a colourful calendar

Start using a planner right away. It enables you to monitor where you should be and what you should be doing throughout the day. Keep track of things like studying, sports, or leisure activities.

Use a calendar arranged weekly, monthly and annually which is easily accessible to everyone in the family. Even this can be made interesting by the use of colours.

The most important activities such as study and homework can be marked in red, while playtime can be marked with the child’s favourite colour. Separate colours should be used for TV viewing, day dreaming, family time, talking time, meeting friends and other activities.

A small whiteboard with a duster can list either the entire day’s or week’s schedule. Divided in parts, this list can also grace the refrigerator door.

The bathroom board

A white board with a marker and duster can be be installed in a dry area of the bathroom for the child to note down the of time they took to shower, brush their teeth or wear their clothes. Once the time they took to get ready for school is recorded, they could be then rewarded for time saved on improving on their best time.

Rewards

Positive reinforcement always has a lasting effect.

When kids complete their tasks on time, inform them about the time they have saved and how it has helped everyone get more family time. Tell them that you’re proud of them for achieving this feat. They can be treated with extra play time or their favorite snacks.

Children love to be praised, especially if it comes from their peer group or favourite teachers. As parents, you could write about your child’s time management skills to their class teacher, which could be announced in the class to encourage other children.

Top Time Management Tips for Students

• Set goals for yourself (but they need to be realistic and achievable)
• Create a to do list for yourself and make a schedule.
• Prioritize what you need to accomplish during the day. Focus on the more important tasks first.
• Eliminate or limit your distractions so that you can focus on your top priorities. learn to say “no” to other tasks. Therefore, limit your TV hours and mobile phone usage.
• Get a routine in place, routine tasks become easier and quicker when done regularly.
• Take help of supportive systems/tools (files, folders, planner) to increase effectiveness and productivity.
• Acquire skills such as speed reading to increase productivity.
• Take Time to Relax: While it’s important to stick to a schedule and use your time wisely, be sure you also schedule time for fun and relaxation.

Short Story

Here’s a short story for kids that highlight the value of time.

Rahul was a bright boy. He excelled at everything he did; he was good at studies as well as sports. But he still had to learn the value of time.

He was always late to wake up and so would reach late at the bus stop. The school bus driver would wait for sometime, but when Rahul was nowhere to be seen, he would drive away. This happened very often.

Rahul would be late for exams, competitions, picnics – and just about everything. Now, how long were the teachers to allow this? So, one fine day, they decided that Rahul should learn to value time.

Sports selections in school was near and Rahul was sure he would be selected for at least three games. The sports coach announced that everyone had to assemble at the school ground at 7 am sharp. The next morning, Rahul turned up at 8 o’clock. The coach said, “I am sorry Rahul, but the selections are over. You are late by one hour”.

Rahul could not believe this! He was the champion! How could the Coach say this? This was unfair! He cried and pleaded, but the coach was unmoved.

And then something happened. The coming Saturday, the class was going for a visit to the Science Centre. The children were supposed to reach the school at 7.30 am and Rahul was the first student to reach school on that day.

The teachers were extremely happy because Rahul had finally learned the value of time!