High School Students

Time Management Techniques for High School Students

If you are a high school student, you understand that time is precious. With all the classes that you must attend, homework that must be completed, extracurricular activities that you may choose to participate in, social activities, and your basic chores and responsibilities at home; it may prove to be difficult to get everything done. If you have a job that you work at after school and on the weekends, this complicates things a little bit. There are many time management techniques that you can use to make high school life a little easier.

The first time management technique that you should learn to implement in your day to day life includes the use of lists. You should jot down all the things that you know that you need to do in a day and make sure that you complete one task prior to moving on to the next. It is important to be certain that all tasks are completed prior to going to bed each night. A sample list may look something like this:

1. Stop by library and check out book on the history of Buddhism

2. Go to Guidance office and pick up peer counseling application

3. Review information for 1st period class

4. Meet with teacher during lunch to clarify expectations on the geometry assignment

5. Softball practice immediately after school

6. Stop by store and get milk and eggs for mom

7. Do laundry

8. Vacuum bedroom and living room

9. Put laundry away

10. Study for English exam

11. Read 1st chapter on history of Buddhism

12. Write first chapter on essay on the history of Buddhism

13. Set out clothes and backpack for tomorrow

It is important to ensure that you outline your day according to the sample listed above. This will keep you in charge of your time, and you will know what you need to do each day.

When it comes to studying and time management as a high school student, it is important to avoid trying to do it all in a "cram" session. You are introduced to a wide assortment of new learning material on a daily basis in high school. It is important that you stay consistent on the new material, as well as the old. Reviewing topics covered in spurts throughout the day is much better than attempting to cram all the information in your mind at one sitting. Keep a steady supply of index card notebooks so that you can review important information consistently. This will keep things fresh in your mind.

Many times, social activities can get in the way of things that need to be done. For example, you may get many phone calls a night from your friends. These phone calls can end up costing you many hours of time that you can put to good use. If you find that receiving these phone calls are interrupting your time, you may choose to tell your friends to only call at certain times. Just let them know that when you get home from school, you have many responsibilities on top of your assignments and you like to make sure that they are done before indulging in social activities. They will respect you for that, and if they don't, they are not worth having for friends.

As you can see, there are many time management techniques that you can use as a high school student. It is important to be able to effectively manage your time. In just a few years, you will be an adult and it will be necessary to have these kinds of skills. Put in your practice now!