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TIME MANAGEMENT It’s Not Just for Football Coaches Anymore!
By Solomon Brenner

Your children are now in the midst of the school year, and those schedules are filling up fast. Between school, homework, sports, activities and family responsibilities, kids these days have a lot on their plate. Time management is an important skill for your kids to learn so that they don’t become overwhelmed. Not only that, but by starting to budget their time early in life, they have a better change of avoiding stress in the future.

You might want to start off by helping your kids make a daily schedule. You can make a separate one for every day of the week, or a couple for weekdays and weekends. Start by listing the times every half hour or so, starting with the time your child wakes up and ending with the time he goes to sleep. Have him fill in the things that have a set starting time first like school, sports or activities. Then move on to things that he has to do but not at a specific time like chores or homework. Lastly, be sure to leave some free time for him to relax and pursue personal interests.

Give your child his own calendar for him to hang in his room. Write down any family functions or doctor appointments that he needs to attend, as well as the birthdays of his friends and family so that he can remember to wish them a happy birthday or make them a card. Don’t forget to include due dates on big projects or when the next math test is. With his own calendar he will feel in control of what he has to do each week.

Help them prioritize things they have to do, things they want to do and their personal goals. Even very obvious things like sleeping should be considered. Cutting back on sleep to fit more into the day will only make your child drowsier in the waking hours; he should be getting a solid eight hours every night so that he can be alert in school and in his activities. The same thing goes for eating, showering and personal hygiene. These may seem pretty obvious, but taking the time out for them to enjoy taking care of themselves will make them feel better throughout the day. Eating slower will also help them develop healthy eating habits.

They should always leave time for things they want to do, whether it’s playing outside, talking on the phone, reading or watching TV. Keep in mind that kids need to be kids, so if you see they are overworking themselves, sit down and rework their schedules to leave more time for relaxation.

Encourage your children to set both short- and long-term goals. Whether it’s something that can be accomplished in a few hours or in a few years, setting goals will keep them looking towards the future. Goal-setting allows your children to reach their full potential and accomplish everything they want to accomplish—but first they’ll need to know how to budget their time in order to make those goals a reality.

Solomon Brenner is the author of “Black Belt Parenting.” Contact him at solomon_brenner@comcast.net.