Prep Talk

7 Time Management Tips from Successful High School Students

Posted April 11th, 2016

An article in Fastcompany highlights some fantastic time management strategies for high school students. What’s different about these tips? They were suggested by two teenage scientists who competed in 2014 in Washington D.C. for the annual Intel Science Talent Search.

Eric Chen and Zarin Rahman (both 17) were interviewed for the article. Chen won the 2014 competition with a computer model study of endonuclease inhibitors (which can prevent viral replication), and Rahman won 7^th place for his study of how screen time affects sleep among students. Be sure to read the complete article for each student’s unique perspective. However, in a nutshell, here are their strategies for managing big projects (along with everything else) in their busy lives:

1. Plan: We all have 168 hours in a week to get everything done. With a zillion things to do, not having a schedule is not an option. Planning everything down to 30-60 minute increments (and getting the plan down on paper before you go to bed each night) is a good way to keep things from unraveling.
2. Stick with What Works: Be careful of depending on apps or phone schedulers. Just as taking physical, hand-written notes tends to increase the ability to retain information, using a written planner to keep lists and schedules can help you stay organized.
3. Use Time Blocking: Block out time in your daily calendar for your biggest priorities, so you can measure progress. Dedicating a half-hour or more per evening for writing or reading projects can help you get them done in increments.
4. Big Projects are Really Lots of Little Projects: Fight overwhelm by taking small bites of the elephant. Breaking big things down into smaller chunks makes them easier to finish.
5. Use Bits of Time: Sometimes your day is so broken up it can be hard to dedicate a lot of time to any one thing—but don’t lose those in-between moments. Only have ten minutes? Challenge yourself! How many math problems can you get done in ten minutes? What else is on your to-do list that you can crank out in a hurry?
6. Reward Yourself by Making Space for What Matters Most: You are the master of your calendar, so use it creatively to make space for pet projects (like a Caritas project or a weekend trip). Chunk your smaller time commitments together so you can dedicate a larger block of time elsewhere.
7. Take Smart Breaks: Everybody needs a break once in a while, but don’t waste those moments on mindless activity. If you’re into music but can’t commit to an hour of instrument practice at a time, take a few minutes to play when you need a short break from homework. You can also “swiss cheese” a different task in your break time—something that doesn’t take the same sort of concentration, such as planning out tomorrow’s schedule, or reading in between working on math problems.

Managing a lot of projects in your 168-hour week can be a challenge, but these two students found some great ways to stay on top of their game. What time management tricks can you add to this list that have helped you stay organized?