As you get deeper into adolescence, homework increases and grades take on greater importance in the pre-college phase. Athletics/music practice becomes more demanding and extracurricular activities demand more of your time, and that’s without including family and friends in the mix. Before we talk about time management techniques, though, it’s important to understand time leaks, the unproductive places where your time seems to disappear.
While there are days when it genuinely feels like a little gremlin is magically sucking the time out of your day, the biggest time wasters all have one thing in common…they all have screens. While technology has led to advances in medicine, improvements in the aerospace industry, and greater access to the global economy, it can be a huge waste of time in a teen’s life.
Would you ever let your annoying brother or annoying father repeatedly knock on your bedroom door every 90 seconds while you were trying to read Shakespeare? I dare say some choice words may fly if they attempted such inconsiderate behavior. Yet why sit down to study equipped with your cell phone buzzing (with text messaging capabilities), instant messaging and email alerts, and a home phone ringing? At least if your little brother is banging on your door, you can yell at him!
Don’t take my word for it on the effect technology has on your study skills, try an experiment to see for yourself. I’m willing to bet that your study time will not only be more efficient, but also more effective. So on any given night, do what you normally do, no change. Take note of how long it takes you to finish your work (remember that with each successive interruption, it takes time for you to find your place and refocus).
On the following night, turn off ALL interrupts for a period of, say, an hour (I’m not delusional enough to think it could go on all night). Tell your parents that unless the house is on fire, you’d rather not be interrupted (their stunned look may eventually give way to a small tear of joy). Spend a full, uninterrupted hour doing nothing but your homework. Don’t push the lint on your desk, don’t touch the loose thread on your sweatshirt, and don’t notice the fact that the books on your shelf aren’t arranged alphabetically or by size. See how much you accomplish when you focus on the task at hand and not all the “noise” around you. As a reward for working hard for a block of time, reply to a text or instant message, but only do so for a pre-set period of time, say 10 minutes, and then get back to work! Don’t make your goals so unrealistic that you can’t succeed, but raise the bar for yourself: you’ll not only do more, you’ll retain much more of what you studied!