High school is the prime time of teens’ youth. It helps to build backgrounds for themselves, and teaches them how to be on their own. Time is one thing that happens to fly during the high school years, and students can miss a lot if not paying attention. Time management helps to keep up with activities and school. Developing strategies to manage one’s time helps to find out what is important and how to get things in order.
Students have busy schedules: they attend school, are involved in clubs or sports, have hobbies, some students have part time jobs, and all of us have friends and family, along with responsibilities at home. Time management skills are critical to helping teens manage their time.
Time management is crucial in our day to day lives, some students are able to leave early, others can still find time to do things and make time for things. An example of students having an opportunity is seniors-depending on how many classes or if they have all the credits required to graduate, they are able to leave early on some days. Senior Jacob Barker said, “I usually work 4 days a week for a total of about 23 hours a week. With my current school schedule, I am able to leave early on some days of the week, with this it is a lot easier to manage my time with having work after school. On weekends I am able to go to the gym and workout before work.”
Doing things such as making lists or setting goals for a chunk of time helps students to control their schedules and gain a sense of stability. Sophomore Isabella Hall stated, “I like to make to-do lists for myself which include times in which things become overdue, when they are done, and if I have missing work. It makes it easier for me to see what all needs to be done and helps me stay organized. I like to also talk to my teachers about due dates so I know what things to prioritize first. I tend to get the most work done and am the most productive in my room, I like to be in a controlled environment and I focus better. I like to also set a timer when working so I know when to give myself a break so I don’t become too overwhelmed.”
Limiting distractions can also lead to becoming more focused on a task. Barker stated, “Usually when I get behind in school, it is simply because I don’t do the work and not that I don’t understand it. When this happens I go to the teacher and give them my phone and sit it next to them until I have finished my work.”
Not everyone works best doing things such as making lists and keeping up with work that is either overdue, missing, etc. Therefore, some people find things better just getting work done as needed. Junior Baylen Stamm said, “I don’t really keep a routine, I mainly just do whatever needs to be done on the fly.”
No one wants to spend every second they have to themselves work therefore, making sure to also make time for other people in life is very important. Spending all the time on work can be mentally draining, so having that break is very crucial. Barker expressed, “I think school should be put above all else, and I believe work and spending time with friends should have a balanced relationship.”
