Did you know that by planning and organizing your time, you are prioritizing your mental health? Between balancing school, family, a social life, sports, and other extracurricular activities, how easy can it be to feel overwhelmed? How can you take time for yourself when you are already balancing all of this? It is easy to say that you don’t have time to take care of yourself, but what if you found a way to balance it all?
One of the fastest and easiest ways to organize your time and planning your schedule how you like it is by writing out your daily tasks in a planner. When you get to visualize what your day looks like, it will be easier to see not only where your time goes to, but where the gaps in your schedule are-making it clear when you get to set aside time for YOU!
Plenty of stores such as Target, Walmart, etc. have planners that you can buy and customize in order to be able to fit your schedule. However, if you don’t feel like going out to the store and purchasing one, this blog will give multiple examples that you can copy and fill out yourself! In addition to templates that will allow you to plan out your day, we're also going to give you a list of other ways for you to manage your time-instead of allowing your time to manage you! Templates such as the one on the left are great for being able to lay out and organize your overall week. A format like this will let you get the big picture of what is coming up, such as due dates for tests or a school presentation.
When it comes to organizing all of the aspects of your day- school, sports, clubs, a schedule that breaks down your day by the hour is the most helpful. This is where you will be able to look and think, “Okay, now when in my day will I be able to make time for me?” First, fill in the time slots where your schedule doesn’t change. For example, what time do you have your classes day to day, when do you have soccer practice? Next, take a moment and think; When you need to relax, what calms you down and helps you reset during a busy day? Whether your self care is reading a book, walking outside, or watching a show, setting aside 20 minutes here and there during a busy day will not only help you relax, but it will also boost your productivity later! Never forget, it is impossible to take care of other people and other tasks if you do not take care of yourself first!
Other time management tips that can help you conquer your busy day and help you feel less overwhelmed include:
Splitting up small personal goals and spreading them throughout the week- if you have a project that you want to procrastinate on, instead set aside small times throughout the week to get it done piece by piece!
Set up realistic time limits to complete homework assignments- if you spend too much time on one assignment it will interfere with other parts of your day.
Make sure to take mini-breaks between tasks! Taking 5 minutes in between assignments to just breathe and rest will give you more energy to tackle that next task!
In your planner, schedule your sleep schedule as well! Setting a realistic bed time for you will not only help your productivity for the rest of the week, but it will also help you build healthy sleeping habits that will long term impact your mental health.
How to start planner example: https://www.blog.daydesigner.com/perfect-academic-planner/
Most importantly: Listen to what your body is telling you. If you feel hungry or exhausted, always make sure to take those breaks or get up for a snack in between your busy day! Don’t ignore those natural cues- take care of your body and your body will take care of you!