According to Acuity Training, a program that teaches people life skills, 82% of people don’t rely on a good time management system. About 33% of people use a to-do list as their way to manage their time and tasks, 24% use their email inbox, 12% schedule their activities in their journal in advance and only 25% finish tasks based on importance at the time.
“I think a way students can maximize their time is by using a calendar,” Academic Principal Stephanie Monajami said. “It helps to keep track of everything you have and remind you so you won’t forget.”
There are many types of distractions that can cause students to procrastinate their work and this can cause them to fall behind because they focus more on other distractions. Pew Research Center states that 72% of high school teachers say that cell phones remain the main cause of student distraction. Recently, Texas passed a state law prohibiting students from using their cell phones during the school day. Schools haven’t had enough time to find solid statistical evidence yet, but Study.com states that 76% of teachers notice better student engagement and 70% notice improvement in the overall safety of the school. In the classroom, about two-thirds of students in the United States experience distractions because of their phones.
“I was pretty nervous at first with how we were going to enforce [the phone ban] on campus because there are a lot of kids and a lot of phones,” Ms. Monajami said, “but it’s actually been pretty good. Students have fallen in line with the expectations and everybody’s doing really well.”
Although only 9.9% of students in Texas High Schools receive a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it still affects many students and the way they learn. Mayo Clinic specializes in a broad variety of diseases, ADHD being one of them. Mayo Clinic states that those diagnosed with ADHD experience problems with organization, prioritizing work, multitasking, poor time management skills and not following through with assignments.
“I’m not one to say much about things like ADHD because I’ve never experienced it firsthand like some students, but everyone needs to learn how to have good time management and organizational skills,” Ms. Monajami said. “The adult world is full of challenges that everyone needs to be able to overcome.”
Students receive homework each day, and if they don’t prioritize their work, they risk falling behind and possibly failing their class. A document written by Delta Institution, an establishment that teaches students how to prepare for their future, states that prioritizing your work in high school leads to valuable life skills that students need to know before becoming an adult. Junior Jackson Reeves created his own way to manage his time after school without enduring too much stress and making sure he finishes all of his homework.
“I look at my homework by importance levels, like major grades fall closer to the top of my list of things to do instead of a minor grade,” Reeves said. “When I commit to something, I make sure it’s at the top of my list of things to do.”
Since the new phone bill prohibits students from using their phones during the day, they might be more inclined to use them at home, causing them to procrastinate their homework even further. A study done by Atrius Health, a medical-help website, expresses that student usage of cell phones leads to reduced attention span and potential for addiction. Social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat build their apps to be addictive to users. Excessive use of these apps makes it harder for students to focus on tasks at hand, like school work and organization. Atrius Health lists multiple ways that students can increase their problem-solving skills by: setting clear boundaries between work and social media, focusing on things outside of the phone and having parents set good examples on how to apply proper time management skills in everyday life.
“I would tell people not to cram your work in all at once,” Reeves said. “Trying to get things done in chunks throughout the day may help to not fry your brain with all of your homework.”
According to SQ Magazine, a news article website, people spend on average 4.5 hours a day on their cell phone, 1.5 hours on a tablet, 3.5 hours on a computer, 2.8 hours watching television and 1.2 hours gaming every day.
“Most of my time after school is spent on football, usually in the first semester, but in the offseason, most of my time is spent on school work,” Reeves said. “I try to get as much of my homework done during the week, so I have weekends off and can relax some.”
An article written by Stanford University states that having good organizational skills reduces stress in students with their overall workload and time management. They offer multiple tips to help students — create a plan for your grading period and create a realistic week schedule. Stanford says this helps minimize distractions, so you can focus on your main assignment. Focus Keeper, a timer app that helps keep people on track, states that having a priority organizer significantly reduces issues with organization. They serve as a guiding tool to keep people on track with their work and increase their productivity. A few examples of a priority organizer would be Monday.com, ClickUp, HubSpot and Wrike.com.
“For me personally, I make a physical list to keep track of my homework,” Reeves said. “I have no argument against a time management and organization app because everyone needs different things, but all that matters is they get their work done the way that best fits their needs.”
Overall, time management and organization play a big part in the growth of a student. According to NSHSS, National Society of High School Scholars, effective time management skills help reduce stress, increase focus and productivity and create a better work-life balance.
“I know that having good organizational and time management skills helps reduce your overall stress levels, but those who miss deadlines and don’t finish their work have higher anxiety levels,” Monajami said. “This can cause mental health issues along with physical issues. Students need to take care of themselves while also taking care of their school work.”
