How can I help my teenager with time management?

In high school, many teens work part-time. This entails balancing their job with their school obligations, the time they spend doing things they love, and time spent with friends. To keep their grades up, they need to learn to identify and manage their needs. For instance, you can ask your teen to think about the following:

• How much sleep do they need to be able to concentrate and have energy?
• What are their boundaries?
• What are their goals over the short, medium, and long term?
• How much time should they spend on different areas of their life?
• How well do they manage stress?
• Etc.

Over time, your teen will realize that it’s not possible to accomplish everything. Decisions are often influenced by a wide range of criteria, such as how urgent or important a task might be. To help your child learn to prioritize, encourage them to sort their tasks into categories based on when they need to get done:

• Urgent (e.g., needs to be done immediately)
• Important (e.g., needs to be done soon)
• Not important (e.g., not really necessary)
• Etc.

Routines don’t suddenly become useless in adolescence. In fact, the opposite is true! Establishing a schedule that fits their needs and priorities will help your teen manage their time better. They can do this by considering the following questions:

• When’s the best time to do their work (e.g., after exercising, in the morning)?
• Would setting smartphone reminders and notifications help?
• Are they more productive in the morning or in the evening?
• Would it be helpful to spread tasks out over several nights?
• Can certain activities be combined?
• How long does it take them to read a novel for school?
• Etc.

The minutes we lose to distraction can really add up. A text message, a surprise invitation, the latest episode of a hit show . . . It doesn’t take much to divert our attention. To help your teen avoid these traps when they’re concentrating on a task, you can suggest the following strategies:

• Stay organized (it’s harder to procrastinate when you have goals and a schedule)
• Keep away from distractions (e.g., cellphone, chatty friends, TV)
• Ask the other members of the household not to bother them (e.g., leave them alone when they’re studying, keep their voices down)
• Choose a space conducive to focusing on work (e.g., a room without a TV or phone)
• Etc.

Managing your time effectively is a lot easier when you aren’t burdened by intrusive thoughts. To help your teenager clear their mind, suggest that they try the following:

• Avoid putting off what they can do right away
• Do some exercise before getting to work
• Keep a journal so they can articulate their thoughts and feelings
• Etc.