Most teens have structured schedules with school, after-school activities and homework. Teaching them useful time management skills will help them stay productive and less stressed.
Encourage them to use a planner or a calendar app to visually organize their schedule and deadlines. Teach them to prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance and allot free time for their leisure activities.
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Set Rules and Expectations
Teens are juggling a lot at this stage in their lives academic, social and athletic commitments. As they get older, these responsibilities increase in complexity and require greater focus and discipline to manage effectively.
Teach them to estimate how long it takes to complete tasks and set deadlines. Also, encourage them to break down large projects into smaller steps and assign individual due dates for each step so they don’t feel overwhelmed by the big picture and procrastinate.
Teach your teen to use a calendar or other planning tool paper, app, wall chart, pocket notebook to block out time for schoolwork, extracurricular activities and sleep.
If your teen gets off track, provide them with an opportunity to make up lost ground by establishing a weekly re-grouping session like Sunday afternoon, for example, to tackle any homework or assignments left over from the previous week. In addition, a consequence can be helpful to motivate your teen to get up and out the door on time.
Model the Behavior
When it comes to teaching punctuality to your children, you have to walk the talk. Punctuality is a learned behavior, and it’s best practiced early in life to reinforce that punctuality is just good manners.
Whether your child is struggling with an unstructured schedule or an inability to prioritize, it’s important to teach them that punctuality is about taking responsibility for their actions and decisions. Punctuality also demonstrates to others that they can be trusted and relied upon.
If your teen is frequently late for school, encourage them to identify the cause of their tardiness and come up with an action plan. It might be as simple as setting a consistent bedtime, or using a timer to track how long they spend on their devices.
Providing tools that will help them track and prioritize their tasks will make the process easier for them. This could include a hand timer, an app like Pomodoro, or even a calendar they can write in.
Involve Your Teen
Rather than simply reminding your teen about chores or homework, it’s better to have them set up and share a schedule together. Doing so teaches them to plan ahead and prioritize tasks. It also promotes accountability.
It’s important to help your teen figure out what their biggest time-wasting habits are. Is it procrastinating, over-scheduling, or getting distracted? Identifying and eliminating these barriers is a great way to improve their overall time management skills.
Encourage your teen to use a time-tracking app or keep a time log to show them places they could improve their efficiency. Also, encourage them to learn about the 80/20 rule – that 20 percent of actions create 80% of results.
Consider implementing natural consequences if your teen continually misses the school bus or is late for work. For example, for every minute they miss class or work, they lose some of their allowance or video game time. This can be a powerful motivator for teens.
Set Limits on Electronics
Encourage your teen to make smart choices with video games, cell phones, TVs, and computers. It’s easy for teens to get distracted, so limiting their use of these devices will help them focus and stay on task.
Many teens have trouble estimating how long tasks will take, which leads to stress and missed deadlines. Teach them to break large tasks into smaller, more manageable steps so they don’t feel overwhelmed.
It’s also helpful to teach them to schedule their day, so they can include chores and homework time as well as free periods. This can help them see how their decisions affect their daily life.
When it comes to procrastination, remind them that every minute they spend checking their phone or text messages means less time they can dedicate to completing their homework and other responsibilities.
Help them learn to use white noise and other distraction-blocking strategies. They may even enjoy working with you to create a system that works best for them.