Every year, it seems like the school has more and more tasks, evenings are spent completing endless homework, exams and tests loom ahead, and there are extra classes in French and dancing… In such a situation, it appears like making lists is the last thing you need to do. This, on the other hand, is exactly what can help unload the day and leave time for relaxation and hobbies. This article will teach you ten time management strategies that can help improve school life.
№ 1. Plan your day.
For schoolchildren, the first half of the day is usually carefully structured: lessons, breaks, and extra classes. After school, however, complete freedom begins: do the homework when you wish. Everything appears to be going swimmingly. However, many cases end with you appearing to spend time online for a second – and it’s now night in the yard, and homework hasn’t even begun.
To avoid this, you need to structure your day. The appropriate way is to compile a list of what needs to be done the next day the night before, estimate how long each work takes, and distribute them by the hour. Perhaps, as a result of the process, the day turns out to be relatively free, and it makes sense to add chores from other days to the schedule, or, on the other hand, to quickly complete all of the work and rest. If it becomes evident that you will need to spend the entire evening after school and another part of the night to finish all of the planned duties, some of them should be dropped. Instead, try to contact the experts who provide the write my paper for me service and help with homework.
In any case, when you write down the necessary tasks on paper, there will be clarity and the ability to manage things.
№ 2. Set clear goals.
Nothing seems to be easier than making a goal for yourself. You know that in biology, you’ll have to write an essay by the next class, and in literature, you’ll have to learn Shakespeare. When you sit down to work, however, your head often goes empty since it is unclear what should be done and where to begin.
In order to effectively cope with the tasks, you need goals.
Each goal should be specific and clear: “work harder,” not “complete all the tasks right after school,” not “learn all about Shakespeare,” but “read from pp. 100 to pp. 150 in a textbook.” It is preferable to “get only A and B in a term” than the abstract “study well” in order to clearly understand whether you have achieved your goal.
It is also important that the goal is achievable. You can dream of running the best 100m in your class, but it is unlikely that you will succeed if there are two weeks before the race, and you skipped physical education for months. In this case, it’s best to extend the time frame for accomplishing the goal (not this term, but next) or to change the goal itself – not better than everyone else, but better than your previous performance.
You must set particular time limits in order to keep track of your accomplishments. Finally, keep in mind the significance of the goal for you: in order to be inspired to complete everything, you must first understand why.
№ 3. Prioritize.
In order not to drown in the flow of tasks, you need to learn to divide them into groups depending on the degree of urgency and importance. According to this principle, the most important and urgent matters (for example, preparing for tomorrow’s final control) are performed first, and then you can already take on unimportant, but urgent and important, but not urgent. This approach will not only allow you to perform the main tasks better while you have strength but will also give you a significant long-term charge: after you complete the most important and difficult task of the day, you will surely feel uplifted because the main difficulties will be left behind. Then it will be easier to deal with the rest of the tasks.
If you don’t keep up with something, it won’t be a disaster: at the bottom of the list, there will be things you should think about that aren’t extremely urgent or vital – but do you need to do them at all? If you have someone to ask for help, such as friends, classmates, or a professional essay writer, then do it, because it will help you save time and complete the assignment.
№ 4. Find your own rhythm.
Everyone understands the distinction between “owls” and “larks,” but only a few people truly understand and use their “best” and “worst” hours. However, individual people’s efficiency levels vary greatly depending on the time of day. Furthermore, if you experiment with your schedule, you’ll discover that different times of the day are better for certain activities.
Keep an eye on yourself. Instead of staying up late on schoolwork, why not get up an hour earlier and complete it before school? Or vice versa, sleep well – all the same, in the morning the head does not work.
Workplace rhythm follows the same principle. Some people find it simpler to sit down for a few hours and finish everything at once, while others find that doing a little bit each day is more effective. As a result, you should figure out your perfect rhythm and strive to build your work around it as much as possible.
№ 5. While working – work.
Immersion in the work that you are now doing is a necessary rule of productive work. When a person is completely focused on one task, he can complete it much faster and better than if he is continuously distracted by something else. If you’re writing a literature essay or completing chemistry homework, it’s best to switch off your phone, close your browser, and avoid using social media apps during this time.
You may find it hard to concentrate on one activity at first, but even if you can’t stay away from your gadgets for long, hold out as long as you can. Half an hour of full-fledged, concentrated work will be more productive than two hours of constant replies to friends, looking at pictures, etc. And if you train your concentration, with time it will become easier and easier to immerse yourself in your work.
To make it easier to endure a period of intense work, you can try setting yourself a Pomodoro timer: 25 minutes of work and five minutes of rest. Then there will be no feeling of fatigue, and work efficiency will not decrease.
№ 6. Find motivation.
Sometimes it can be hard to get started on an assignment, especially when it’s difficult or you don’t like the subject. But, unfortunately, you have to do such things, too. If you understand that this work cannot be avoided, it is worth trying to make yourself do it, to find the motivation to do the task.
Any items, ideas, people, and characters that have value to you will come in handy. Agree with your parents that they will give you something for doing serious work, or, for example, for getting an “A” in a term in a subject you are not good at.
Motivation can also be found at a higher level. Consider why you need to study: you won’t be able to enter your desired university if you don’t finish high school, you won’t be able to impress your peers, and so on.
№ 7. Interchange the tasks.
Our brain gradually gets tired of monotonous work, so it’s best to plan your day so that it interchanges activities that require different skills. For example, interchange solving math problems with reading a history textbook, and then go on to similar (in terms of brain work) physics homework.
Following the same principle, it’s a good idea to pick hobbies and ways to unwind after a long day of studying. And if you go for a stroll with friends, your brain and body will rest much better than if you go to the computer after several hours at the desk, where you will also sit and strain your eyes.
Even a basic five-minute warm-up will do you well if you can’t choose other things to do at all; you’ll give yourself at least some time to switch.
№ 8. Team up with others.
Someone is better at writing essays, and someone is better at solving problems in geometry, and this is worth taking advantage of. Cheating off an excellent student is not a good idea: it will then have an extremely negative impact on exam results. However, you can always ask him to explain an incomprehensible topic in exchange for help in studying a subject in which he understands less.
You can agree with classmates and prepare for classes and tests together – this format will bring a lot of benefits both in terms of time and in terms of the quality of work.
You will increase your knowledge by describing a topic to someone else, and you will ultimately understand a tough discipline by listening to others. Furthermore, by planning ahead of time for homework preparation and arranging it with classmates, you will not be able to avoid a tough or disliked activity.
№ 9. Analyze what you have done.
It’s possible that you’re doing everything right: making a to-do list, interchanging them, scheduling them by the hour, but you still don’t have time for anything or are fatigued by the end of the day. This indicates that a mistake has slipped into the plan, and in order to avoid it in the future, it is necessary to check the plan’s compliance with its actual implementation on a frequent basis (for example, at the end of the day or week).
This type of analysis can be disappointing. For example, you notice that despite all of your schedules, you “dropped off” and left to watch the series at some point. Or that a task that was supposed to take two hours takes four hours each time. And, in both cases, do not despair; you simply need to build a plan that takes into consideration your unique features the next time. Put it on a schedule if you’re a regular after-school watcher, and set aside four hours for a challenging assignment, even if you think it might have been done faster. This method will assist you in not hating yourself for the unaccomplished plan and in realizing how much time you actually have.
№ 10. Don’t forget to rest.
Many people, in their pursuit of personal efficiency, tend to overfill their schedules. They believe that if you don’t spend ten hours a day studying for examinations, you won’t pass the exam, chemistry isn’t easy, and there isn’t much time to relax.
Rest, on the other hand, is essential not only for a full and happy life but also for productive work. It may appear like the more you do, the more you get done, but this is not the case. Our brain becomes fatigued after a while, and its functioning suffers substantially. Then more study is ineffective. As a result, working without breaks is harmful: a rested person will do more in fewer hours than someone who is exhausted and unable to concentrate.
