Time is scarce, especially when you spend 7 hours of your day at school or 8+ hours at work. On top of that, many college students get part time jobs to solve their money issues to pay for car insurance and gas. The problem is that students are trying to juggle their life between school, work, and free time. For some, this task could be overwhelming! All you need is some compromise and some organization, and you’ll be amazed at what you can get done in a day. Sure, you can get a masters in organizational leadership online, but better time management can start now with these tips.
School= Success
School is the most important part of the triangle of the teen life! If you choose to take up working, you could be lacking in study time. This could make your grades drop, and really hurt your future. If you want to get a higher paying job, you need to get into college. Since school is so important to your future financial situation, here’s some tips to help you gain control of that out of hand homework.
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Get a study hall
This will give you some extra homework and study time; don’t use it as a social hour.
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Request fewer hours at work
Although you might not want to take less pay, you might need that extra hour here or there.
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Use some study techniques to cut time.
Take notes in class so you don’t have to re-read the whole entire chapter!
- Use your online resources (NO I DON’T MEAN CHEAT)
Most of your textbooks can be found online, and this can be handy when studying. Many online textbooks have chapter summaries, which is less time consuming than re-reading the whole chapter.
Work= Money
Jobs are hard to find for everyone in this economy, that includes jobs for students. If you actually have a job, you will realize that it takes up most of your time. You have expenses if you drive, so you need to make at least enough to keep you on the road. If you find yourself lacking in social time and study time, then you can try a few things.
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Reduce your hours to make only what you need to stay afloat
This will reduce your cash flow. You don’t have to completely support yourself, so you’ll live.
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Work the majority of your hours on the weekends
This might take away from your weekend social time, but you’ll have more time on the weeknights for homework.
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Make a schedule to efficiently manage your time
No matter your situation, this is always a good idea. It doesn’t matter if you make a mental note, or physically make a chart.
Free Time= Sanity
This might not seem as important, but you need free time to keep yourself from going crazy. One job I had we worked 7 days a week 11 hours a day. Sure, I made a whole bunch of money, but for the time I worked there it was miserable! You need to make sure that you have special designated times to unwind and relax. You could designate a half an hour each day to relaxing, or a few hours on a weekend afternoon. Here are some tips on some activities that you could do, that would help you relax and save time.
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Watch a TV show on Netflix
There are no commercials on Netflix, so you save about 10 minutes for a half an hour show, and about 20 for an hour long show. (Extra time!)
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Read a chapter of a book
You can always set a timer so you don’t lose track of time.
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Call up a friend and catch up
If they’re the never-stop-talking type of person, just tell them at the beginning of your call how much time you have to talk.
The Ultimate Time Saver
Remember that whole make a schedule idea I mentioned above, it’s the key to having time. I’m involved with my church, my school jazz band, my Academic Decathlon team, manage my own website, practice my saxophone for an hour each day, and still find time to get my homework done and have free time left over. The only reason I can do all of this is because I manage my time and prioritize! Know what time slot works the best for each activity, and designate certain times of the day to each activity. The biggest time waster is just sitting around not doing anything. If you eliminate that and make a list of activities you would like to get done that day, you’ll be surprised what you can accomplish.
Final thoughts
Developing the skill of time management does wonders for your future. There’s not a place in life where it doesn’t come in handy. It will help you insurmountably in college, and any job you have from then on. If you get in the habit of managing your time as a teen, you’ll be in great shape for the future. Always remember time is money!
I really like how you wrote this by adding the reward next to the action. Often we don’t think of the the result of what we spend our time on. We just focus on the doing. Time management and shifting my focus is one of my current projects.