Why Time Management Skills are Important and Strategies to Develop Them

Students who lack time management skills struggle to finish tasks in class and have difficulty organising their schoolwork. Good time management skills reduce stress and anxiety while helping students to reach their potential. Those who develop these skills while at school will reap the rewards for the rest of their lives. 

The beginning of a new school year is a perfect time to put time management skills into practice as students are fresh and motivated, but many will muddle through another year because they don’t understand why time management is so important. 

Why Students Need to Manage Their Time

Without effective time management skills, genuine organisation is not possible. Young people today have busy lives and those who don’t know how to manage their workload often leave things until the last minute, resulting in unneeded stress and poorer quality work.

Cramming for exams is particularly detrimental because information is processed in a shallow way. For deep learning to take place, students need to do more than hastily read through their notes the night before a test. They need take the time to study properly, using a range of techniques. 

It’s not just school work that is impacted by poor time management skills. Virtually all areas of adult life require time management. To become independent, young people need to start by managing their daily lives. Those who can manage their own time feel confident and in control, boosting self-esteem. 

Time Management Strategies for Students

All students can benefit from help with time management using these strategies which are easy to implement and monitor:

• Make kids accountable. Older students should be responsible for getting themselves out of bed and ready for school without prompting from parents. It’s helpful to specify when household chores need to be done each week to give kids practice organising their time. An after-school job is an ideal way for teens to learn about time management.
• Limit screen time. One of the biggest challenges facing both adults and kids today is managing screen time. This can be achieved by introducing device-free time each day, particularly when doing homework. Encourage young people to monitor their screen time so they know exactly how much time they’re spending online.
• Practice timed exams. Completing previous exams papers is an ideal way for students to learn how to manage their time. Not only do they learn about how to best allocate time during the exam, they can apply the skills gained in test situations outside the classroom.
• Use planners and diaries. Writing things down is a tried-and-true way of managing time. It’s helpful at the beginning of a new term to record all assignments, exams, recreational activities, social events and goals on a calendar. You can then use a weekly or daily planner to block out time for study and recreation. This teaches students to follow a schedule and gives them practice monitoring their use of time.