Ok fella’s you already know school life can be a busy time for teenagers. Students have to juggle a complicated class schedule, club practice, major projects and other responsibilities.Time management is instrumental in helping teens stay on top of their workload. It offers multiple benefits, including better decision-making skills, more opportunities to unwind and improved performance at school.If you notice your teenager failing to get things done on time, you could teach them how to manage their time wisely. Here are some steps you can take as a parent:
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Have a One-on-One Chat with Your Teenager
Before you help your teen strategize their daily or weekly timetable, have an honest conversation with them. Discuss why you believe they require some form of intervention. A few examples include missed training, missed assignment deadlines and not getting enough sleep.Explain how the lack of time management and organization in their life can affect their academic performance, as well as their future as they grow older. Once your teen completesrequirements for senior high schooland enters it, for instance, they will have to tackle more projects, assignments, exams and other academic requirements. You want to make sure that your teenager can cope with the workload and use their time management skills to get work done effectively
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Set Goals Together
Ask your teen to set personal goals they want to reach. Then, help them identify the amount of time they need to work on that goal each day. Whether your teenager wants to get an assignment done in two hours or work out for 20 minutes four times each week, goal setting is an effective way to help your child manage their time.
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Advise Your Teen to Write down Their Schedule
Social media and video games can easily eat up the study time of your teenager. Make sure that you teach them to schedule their day or week properly. This way, they’ll have time for assignments, projects, chores and other important tasks. Also, remind your teen to schedule free time on their calendar. Your teenager can use this opportunity to unwind, hang out with their friends and have fun.
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Tame Your Teen’s Top Distractions
You don’t want your teenager to waste countless hours on non-important stuff. As a parent, make sure that you set limits on the following:
Hobbies and Sports – Although there’s nothing wrong with devoting time to sports and club activities, you need to help your teen sort out the time and logistics for practice and meeting sessions. Help your teenager plan their activities using their calendar or planner.
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Television – Ask your teenager to choose specific shows or TV series that they like. Then, record these shows. If your teen wants to watch a particular TV series, they can arrange a specific time during the week or day to view a few episodes.
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Social Media – Social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram, have become a part of a teenager’s life. Although you can’t ask them to stop using social media completely, you can set limits on how long they can spend time watching cat videos or chatting with friends on Messenger. Allocating time for social media will prevent such activities from affecting the rest of your child’s schedule.
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Video Games – There’s nothing wrong with playing games once in a while. Just make sure that console or PC gaming doesn’t eat up their studying time. You could, for instance, use video games as a “reward time.” After your teen finishes their homework or gets an A+ on their project or exam, you can allow them to play games for a fixed amount of time.
These suggestions will help your teenager manage their time effectively. Effective time management will teach your teen to behave responsibly and avoid waiting for the last possible second to get things done.
Post contribute by Feddy Peres
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