One approach to juggling all the tasks you need to do that can make a significant difference to your success, is time management. By effectively managing your time, you can meet deadlines, submit high-quality work, improve your grades, reduce stress, and develop valuable life skills. 

Below are some brief tips about the art of working to deadlines and mastering time management.

Why Time Management is Important

Time management means prioritising tasks, setting goals, and judging how much time is needed for you to complete each assignment or project. 

Time management empowers you to make the most of your limited time and accomplish more in less time. 

Effective time management can reduce stress and help you in:

• Meeting Deadlines: submit assignments, projects, and exams on time.

• Leaving time for Review and Improvement: this could be you checking your work against task criteria, marking rubrics, or using a critical friend.

• Getting better marks/grades.

• Freeing up more leisure time.

• Cultivating life skills such as discipline, self-motivation, and responsibility.

• Minimising stress levels by avoiding last-minute rushes and panic.

• Balancing school, hobbies, and your personal life for a healthy lifestyle.

1. Prioritise Tasks

Order your upcoming tasks based on the deadline date. Now assign each task a number in order of importance, starting with one for the most important. 

2. Decide how long you think you’ll need to complete the task

This is the total time you need to finish the whole task. Be generous, but realistic. Don’t give yourself too long but make sure your timeframe is short enough to motivate you to finish in a reasonable time. Write the time next to each task.

3. Break the task into blocks that you can commit to

For example, if you have a lot to do in the week, you could use 45-minute blocks on weekdays, and 2-hour blocks at the weekend. Maybe you can set aside 90-minute blocks in the week because you know you won’t be able to work at the weekend! It’s all about knowing and being honest with yourself.

4. Decide where you will keep your plan

Will you use a planner or an online tool to fit these blocks into your schedule? Both have their advantages, but online tools are backed up on the cloud, can be shared, and are normally in your pocket!

5. Stick to the schedule 

As much as possible, try to start and finish your sessions at the right times, but don’t be too hard on yourself if it doesn’t go as planned! Part of mastering time management skills is being flexible when timetables have to change. 

The skills you learn now will help you no end in your future life, and so they are worth devoting some time to now. You will eventually see a reduction in stress and an increase in your grades overall. This is because one of the most important features this technique can give you, as ABEL consultants always say, is the time to check your work before you submit it. Checking your work properly is impossible when you are rushing!

This does not just mean running a spell-check, but actually thinking about each line of your work and the overall flow and quality. 

Leaving yourself some time before the deadline allows time for serious review and editing. Revisions, additions, and improvements can result in higher-quality work and therefore higher grades.

How to avoid Stress

Share your targets! 

Telling people your plans produces accountability. Involve friends, family, or classmates in your time management journey. Share your calendar, your targets, and hold each other accountable for staying on track. 

Not only does this work with exercise and fitness but it also works with academic tasks — Give it a go and see your time management skills improve!

Mastering time management is a vital skill for high school students to achieve academic success, reduce stress, and develop valuable life skills. By working to deadlines, prioritising tasks, and following effective time management strategies, you can improve your marks, stay organised, and lead a well-balanced life. 

All these tips are helpful, but an incredibly important one is often reported to be the hardest — especially for deadlines that are a long way into the future:

Start working on tasks as soon as possible!!

Good luck and keep working on this important life skill.

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