Time Management
One of the most important skills anyone can learn is how to manage him or herself and how to handle time. When I've asked students to list skills they need to work on, this is one that crops up the most.
To improve your coping skills AND stress levels, you can work on small steps toward the larger goal. Try each of these, and see which ideas work best for you.
Prioritization: Which subject causes you problems? Which projects have a nearer deadline? Try facing these first, while you are the most fresh, rather than waiting until you are tired. This is often called "eating the frog." Popularly (but probably falsely) applied to Mark Twain, the wisdom goes like this: "If it's your job to eat a live frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Scheduling: Jot down one best time block that you can study. How long is it? Consider using a timer to force you to stay focused during that time block. Then take a break (set a timer for this, too). What makes a good break for you? How long does that take, reasonably?
Concentration and focus: Consider where you study now. What is the best study space that is free from distractions? What is a back-up space? Try a space that is not used for other activities. For example, sleep experts tell us that when we use our bedrooms for things other than sleep (like watching t.v. or playing video games), we are sending messages to our brains that this is not a space dedicated to the activity of sleep. This works the same for work & studying. Try to find a location that cues your brain for actual work, and then do actual work there (and don't get sucked into checking Facebook or other social networks!).
Managing challenges/interruptions/distractions): The timer thing works great for this. Try postponing unnecessary activities until you have done something. There are a variety of apps that help you set blocks on social networks; try one, set your own time limit, and see how much you can get accomplished. (I leave my phone in another room so I'm less tempted to mind-wander. And I set a timer and/or a specific goal, like grading for 45 minutes, or reading 5 essays a day, or grading a class set of something.)
Goal Setting: Get something done! What is a first step you can identify that will get you started? Set small goals to reach, and they'll build up to the larger goal. I can't grade a class set of essays in a single setting, so I set a timer for 45 minutes (then I get a 15 minute break). If I do this, depending on the length of the essays, I can get a batch done in 3-5 hours. But I don't do that all in one sitting! You try it: just work on one thing, perhaps your intro paragraph and then write as much of your first body paragraph as you can, until you run out of steam or the timer goes off. Then put it away, work on some other project, and come back and start where you left off. After only a few days, you'll have the entire essay done.
Swiss-cheese it: Where are bits and pieces of your day where you can do small things? Use your free time wisely. Waiting for Mom to pick you up? Pull out your text and work on reading the chapter. As you find little holes of time, do little bits. Eventually, you'll have finished a bunch of small items on your To-Do list. I'm a big believer in checklists, and sometimes marking off even a set of small items reinforces my productivity.
Here's my last two thoughts:
1. Avoid multi-tasking. (I know, I just said to Swiss-cheese it, but this is different.) Research shows that trying to do multiple things at once, and switching from one task to another is cognitively draining, and neither task ends up done well. (Nass 2009) Spend 2:34 and watch Sherry Turkle (of MIT) explain the benefits of Unitasking, below.
2. Get a paper calendar. (So old school.) I mean the giant wall-sized year calendars. I read this while prepping for graduate school, and used this technique myself (Peters, Getting What You Came For). You may not use in high school, but it would work great. Hang the calendar where you can see it, and put all of your deadlines on it so you can see clearly your schedule.
#2 REVISED: Get/use a calendar. So as the world moves to digital, I've done so myself. The calendar doesn't need to be a paper one, although that advice is still great for some. Use a digital version, and then you can access anywhere. (GCalendar has a Task bar where you can list and then mark off items.) The point is, make sure you are aware of your deadlines, and then you can plan how to use your time in the run-up to them.
Now, start getting something done!
One of the most important skills anyone can learn is how to manage him or herself and how to handle time. When I've asked students to list skills they need to work on, this is one that crops up the most.
To improve your coping skills AND stress levels, you can work on small steps toward the larger goal. Try each of these, and see which ideas work best for you.
Prioritization: Which subject causes you problems? Which projects have a nearer deadline? Try facing these first, while you are the most fresh, rather than waiting until you are tired. This is often called "eating the frog." Popularly (but probably falsely) applied to Mark Twain, the wisdom goes like this: "If it's your job to eat a live frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."
Scheduling: Jot down one best time block that you can study. How long is it? Consider using a timer to force you to stay focused during that time block. Then take a break (set a timer for this, too). What makes a good break for you? How long does that take, reasonably?
Concentration and focus: Consider where you study now. What is the best study space that is free from distractions? What is a back-up space? Try a space that is not used for other activities. For example, sleep experts tell us that when we use our bedrooms for things other than sleep (like watching t.v. or playing video games), we are sending messages to our brains that this is not a space dedicated to the activity of sleep. This works the same for work & studying. Try to find a location that cues your brain for actual work, and then do actual work there (and don't get sucked into checking Facebook or other social networks!).
Managing challenges/interruptions/distractions): The timer thing works great for this. Try postponing unnecessary activities until you have done something. There are a variety of apps that help you set blocks on social networks; try one, set your own time limit, and see how much you can get accomplished. (I leave my phone in another room so I'm less tempted to mind-wander. And I set a timer and/or a specific goal, like grading for 45 minutes, or reading 5 essays a day, or grading a class set of something.)
Goal Setting: Get something done! What is a first step you can identify that will get you started? Set small goals to reach, and they'll build up to the larger goal. I can't grade a class set of essays in a single setting, so I set a timer for 45 minutes (then I get a 15 minute break). If I do this, depending on the length of the essays, I can get a batch done in 3-5 hours. But I don't do that all in one sitting! You try it: just work on one thing, perhaps your intro paragraph and then write as much of your first body paragraph as you can, until you run out of steam or the timer goes off. Then put it away, work on some other project, and come back and start where you left off. After only a few days, you'll have the entire essay done.
Swiss-cheese it: Where are bits and pieces of your day where you can do small things? Use your free time wisely. Waiting for Mom to pick you up? Pull out your text and work on reading the chapter. As you find little holes of time, do little bits. Eventually, you'll have finished a bunch of small items on your To-Do list. I'm a big believer in checklists, and sometimes marking off even a set of small items reinforces my productivity.
Here's my last two thoughts:
1. Avoid multi-tasking. (I know, I just said to Swiss-cheese it, but this is different.) Research shows that trying to do multiple things at once, and switching from one task to another is cognitively draining, and neither task ends up done well. (Nass 2009) Spend 2:34 and watch Sherry Turkle (of MIT) explain the benefits of Unitasking, below.
2. Get a paper calendar. (So old school.) I mean the giant wall-sized year calendars. I read this while prepping for graduate school, and used this technique myself (Peters, Getting What You Came For). You may not use in high school, but it would work great. Hang the calendar where you can see it, and put all of your deadlines on it so you can see clearly your schedule.
#2 REVISED: Get/use a calendar. So as the world moves to digital, I've done so myself. The calendar doesn't need to be a paper one, although that advice is still great for some. Use a digital version, and then you can access anywhere. (GCalendar has a Task bar where you can list and then mark off items.) The point is, make sure you are aware of your deadlines, and then you can plan how to use your time in the run-up to them.
Now, start getting something done!