Time Management for Teens

by Deborah Erbach Burger Copyright 2004 Used with permission

I have the same amount of time as every other person on the planet.

No one has more time than I have.

This is true in 2 ways:

1. Big Picture—I have 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year. Period.

Management means: using effectively the resources God gives, to his glory and my satisfaction and growth. It does not mean the end of all fun and relaxation; on the contrary, it should free time for all the important areas of my life. Unmanaged time becomes confusing, chaotic, leads to the failure of goals and general anxiety.

Management of time ensures that my life stays in balance and I have time to accomplish the goals that are important to me.

Knowledge is the best resource I have.

To manage time effectively I must:

1. Know myself--my style, strengths, and weaknesses. Am I a morning person, or a night person? Do I concentrate best in silence or with background music or noise? Do I prefer to be in company, or alone? There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, but knowing my personal style allows me to plan to succeed. It’s self –defeating to plan for difficult or stressful events at times and by means that are also difficult or stressful for me! A successful plan uses my strengths, and is patient with my weaknesses.

2. Know my plan—make plans to achieve the objectives of my goals, and WRITE THEM DOWN. Three tools can help me to keep track of my plan:

Lists

Calendar

My watch

3. Know what to do—I must have goals and objectives. I must identify their relative importance to me: some are necessary, some important, some I can “take or leave”, and some are “extras and fluff.” I need to know which are which. This is called setting priorities.

( See the list below to make sure you are not leaving out important areas of your life, as you set priorities and make your plans.)

5. Knowing must lead to DOING. - To keep on the track I have established I must JUST DO IT! AND KEEP ON DOING IT!

Persevere

Remember the goal

Measure my progress

Get back ON when I fail

Develop and maintain the flexibility to change my plan as necessary

Priority Areas

Don’t leave ANY of these out of your plan:

Make sure that each week includes sufficient time for all these—they will HAPPEN whether you plan for them or not. A Plan that includes all the important areas is a plan that will work. A Plan that leaves out one or more, is a plan that will seem burdensome, irritating, and is doomed to failure. You will spend time on each of these… might as well choose the ranking, and plan time accordingly, instead of letting it happen randomly.

Schoolwork/Academics

Family Chores

Job/Apprenticeship

Friendships

Ministry/Service

Quiet time/Devotions

Family Relationships

Hobbies

Personal fun/Relaxation

Physical Fitness

REST

Two Final Bits of Advice

1. Don’t let the merely urgent in your life crowd out the truly important.

There will always be emergencies, unforeseen intrusions into your plan. You can re-arrange you plan and schedule to accommodate some of them, but you may need help from a parent if your plan is constantly under “attack”. It may be that you have too much responsibility in areas over which you have too little control of the outcome, or it may be that your plan is unrealistic, considering the resources God has given you.

2. Self Discipline consists mainly in remembering WHAT you REALLY want.

There are times when we are tempted to “throw our plans out the window.” Sometimes that’s a good thing, indicating a flaw in the plan (did you remember to account for ALL the areas of life?) But many times, decisions about how to spend time can become clear and simple if we will merely REMEMBER what we really want. Keep your eye on your goals, press toward them, set aside distractions.

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