5 Tips For Time Management

Sometimes it feels like there’s not enough hours in the day to just do the things you absolutely need to do—let alone meet your goals. Life, work, and school can consume so much time and energy that there isn’t any time left for you. But it is possible to find the right balance with time management! Managing your time effectively can allow you to accomplish so much more without feeling overwhelmed. Your time is valuable, so make the most out of it with these 5 tips for time management!

1. Create a schedule—and stick to it!

Creating a schedule for yourself is one of the most important parts of managing your time. It’s a great way to know exactly what you already have going on, and what free space you have to work with. Whether you’re juggling a million tasks or have just a few must-dos, you’ll be able to organize your days better. A simple way you can do this is with a dedicated planner, or even the calendar app on your phone—whatever works best for you. You’ll want to avoid missing time slots you’ve set up for studying or doing something for yourself. Remember: you’ve scheduled it for a reason. Once you miss one, it’s a slippery slope of returning to poor time management habits!

2. Minimize distractions.

Distractions are the downfall of us all. If you have a time dedicated for social media, or tv, by all means go for it! But don’t let these distractions interfere with what you’ve set out to do. Go to a location where you can focus and get your task done. If that’s not possible, remember to just try to take away as many distractions for yourself as you can! That might mean setting your phone on do-not-disturb mode or putting the tv remote in an inconvenient place. Know yourself, and what might come between you and a productive day.

3. Break up large tasks into smaller ones.

Working on a large assignment in one session can be exhausting, intimidating, or just all around unpleasant. So, set to make the unmanageable manageable! If you’re working on an essay, instead of writing it all in one go, try dividing your time. Maybe your first session is outlining your paper, and your next session is writing only a few paragraphs. That’s okay! Just make sure to plan accordingly and give yourself enough time to get things done. It also helps to set your own deadline for the paper a day or two earlier than the actual due date, so you have time to proof-read and edit.

4. Know your deadlines.

Keeping everything in check is so much easier when you can account for your deadlines. Figure out when you need to accomplish your task and work backwards, starting with your smaller tasks so that you can comfortably meet your goal. Although sometimes we have specific deadlines, it’s okay to make up your own as well! If you want to finish your course by the end of the month, figure out how many lessons you’ll need to accomplish each week to make that happen. When deadlines aren’t factored in, it’s so easy to put off making time for what you need to get done and what you want to achieve.

5. Prioritize your to-dos.

While some tasks need to take place at a certain time or date and can’t be moved, other tasks may be more flexible. Prioritize what needs to get done ASAP and what may not be so urgent. While it’s okay to push some tasks back for more important ones, organizing your time will help you know when you can make time for everything else. With flexible class times and no exam deadlines, James Madison High School is here to accommodate both you and your priorities, so that you can get done what you need to do and still have time for you! For more information on enrolling in James Madison, contact our Admissions Specialists at .