I would suggest using an hourly spread so you can easily visualize how much time you have to do your work. Here is an example, and following are 5 Steps to Planning a Productive Week.
- Write down events that have a specific date and time.
- Include face-to-face classes, work, practices, games, performances, etc.
- Make sure to add in travel time. For example, if it takes 15 minutes to drive to an appointment, 5 minutes to park and walk in, I would block out the half hour before the appointment starts. I usually just draw an arrow through that half hour block to represent commuting time.
- Block out your sleep and exercise time.
- Teenagers need an average of 9 hours of sleep per night.
- Make a separate to-do list of all of the coursework you need to complete this week. Then, rank items in order of priority.
- Most classes require you to complete assignments in order, so your priority ranking is easy in this scenario- what is due first?
- If you need help deciding which assignments should be prioritized, make sure to ask your teacher.
- If you have a test on Wednesday, schedule study time on Monday and Tuesday.
- Fill in the most important tasks first into your weekly schedule.
- Make sure to batch like items together (all math tasks together for example).
- Schedule in breaks for yourself!
- Don’t kid yourself that you can do coursework for 5 hours straight. Eating (healthy) snacks, drinking water, and walking are great ways to refresh your brain.
Try these 5 Steps to Planning a Productive Week and let me know what you think!
