24 Time Management Tools for Teens

Time management.

It may seem like a fuzzy, broad topic, but it’s one of the most critical life-skills we need to teach our teens.

It’s not something people are born with; it’s a skill developed and honed over time. 

So, if you’ve been thinking that your teenager- or kid, or pre-teen (or even you!) -needs better time management skills, there’s hope!

What Are Your Goals for Your Time?

The first step to working on time management is to figure out why you need to be working on it in the first place. If it’s just a vague fuzzy feeling that this is something they could be better at, your teen is going to have a hard time gaining the correct time management tools.

But if you know why time management matters to you, and them, it’s easier to have the motivation and drive to actually want to work on this. Because the reality is that you can have all the tools and tricks in the world, but it usually comes down to just doing the thing. AKA self-discipline. (Which is also a muscle that can be strengthened- so no fears!)

And self-discipline is much, much easier if you remember your WHY.

Common Challenges of Time Management for Teens

Typically when people look for time management skills, you get a list of things like, “wake up 15 minutes earlier” or “use a planner” and hope and cross your fingers that something will work. But there are actually a few different concrete challenges that people have with managing their time effectively.

Once you know where the problem is, it’ll be easier to find the correct solution!

Challenge #1: Knowing How Long It Takes To Do A Task

The first common problem is just knowing how long it takes to DO something. People with this challenge often over or underestimate the time they need to prep for activities, and then are constantly running late. 

Have you ever eaten dinner at 8:30 because you underestimated how long it would take dinner to cook? Imagine feeling that way all the time. Teens struggling with this typically want to be able to be on time, so they end up feeling chronically frustrated, or even paralyzed because it seems like there’s just not enough time to do everything.

Time Management Tools for Teens

• Start a log of how long it takes to do things like get ready in the morning, get to school, do homework, eat a meal, get to work, etc. Any activity that comes immediately before something where they’re chronically late, or something they’re routinely not finishing is a good candidate to monitor. 
• Keep the log for at least a week- you’ll want multiple times to be able to get an average.

Then use this information to plan better. Maybe they thought they could get ready for school in 25 minutes. But if it took anywhere between 20-45 minutes, you need to plan for 45 minutes because the consequences of arriving early are significantly less than arriving late!

Challenge #2: Getting Started

AKA task initiation. This may look like someone who’s just avoiding their work, or putting it off, or dawdling. The key to helping teens who struggle with getting started is understanding why it’s a challenge to them. Does the task seem too challenging, or too long? Maybe there is something more fun they want to be doing? Or does focus (and being easily distracted) seem to be the main problem?

Time Management Tools for Teens:

If the task is too long:

• Break it into chunks and use a timer so there’s a clear, manageable time limit. You may have to start with shorter times, like 10 minutes and build from there. But this teaches your teen that they are completely capable of doing this, which will help build their confidence, self-esteem and potentially even re-wire their brain!

If the task is too challenging:

• Break the task apart into smaller parts. So, the chore wouldn’t be, “Clean the bathroom” it would be “clean the toilet and sink,” “clean the tub,” “wipe down the mirror,” etc. 

Is there something more fun?

• Use it as a reward to motivate your teen. You may want to gently remind them about responsibilities and privileges, and that responsibilities have to come first. Of course, do that at a different time than when they’re trying to get this task started. Because then it will come off as a lecture, and we all know lecturing teens is no good!
• Game-ify whatever they’re working on! ‘Beat the clock’ is the easiest option (how many problems can you do in 5 minutes, how much can you clean during this song?, etc) but the options are endless, so let your creativity shine!

Are they easily distracted?

• What is the maximum attention-span of your teen to challenging work? Use that as a guide to set timers for 5 minutes of work, etc. 
• A healthy adult attention span (for challenging work) is shorter than you may have thought- college students average 3-5 minutes under lab conditions! The point is that you (and they!) shouldn’t feel badly about a short attention span- we’re built to constantly seek new information. 
• Put away the phone. Like in a completely different room. And turn off notifications on a smartwatch if they wear one.
• Use website blockers to prevent checking social media and other websites.
• Try some white noise to drown out all the other distractions.

Challenge #3: Having enough time in the day to get it all done

Kids and teens with this challenge generally know what needs to be done, and are capable of starting and completing the task, but they always seem to end the day with the feeling of, “I just wasn’t able to get it all done!”

Time Management Tools for Teens

• Manage expectations. Use a planner, or even just a sheet of paper and some sticky notes, write down all the tasks they think need to happen. Work on spreading things out, and…
• PRIORITIZE. This is one of the main problems. Everything feels important, so it’s hard to cut things out, or even place them in order. A good question to have your teen ask themself is, “what would realistically happen if I didn’t do this?”
• Monitor time wasters. Screens are the most obvious examples here. You can encourage them to experiment with keeping phones, etc in a different room when they’re studying or trying to get something done.
• Re-claim the lost time. I was working with a gentleman who claimed he had no time to get anything done. But we did a time audit, and found that he had an additional 2 HOURS EVERY DAY spent waiting (for transportation, and for his classes or work to begin once he got there). Once we were able to plan for what he could realistically do with that time, he was able to stop feeling like he was falling behind.

Challenge #4: Finishing the Job (Task Completion)

It was that first gorgeous day of spring, the weather was warm, it was sunny,  I was a senior at college, and everyone else was outside having all the fun.

I, however, had to finish a finals paper. It was agony. The last paragraph must’ve taken an hour, and at one point I vividly remember laying at the top of my basement-bedroom stairs, half here and half there, longingly looking outside. 

Dramatic? Why, yes. 

But it paints the picture of someone who struggles with finishing tasks. And there are a dozen nearly finished projects around my house to prove that I start things with gusto and enthusiasm, and either get bored, frustrated, or distracted before I finish what I started.

If your teen (or you!) has a problem with just finishing the job, there are a few time management solutions for you.

Time Management Tools for Teens

• Set aside extra time at the end; you know you’re going to slow down, like a car running out of gas, so plan for it.
• If possible, start with the end. You can write your conclusion at the same time as your introduction! 
• Reframe the ‘end’ as an entirely new task in it’s own right. This is especially effective if you’re good at task initiation.
• Time yourself to see how quickly you can finish the job.
• Give yourself a scheduled break if you’ve been at it awhile. Scheduling the break and planning to come back is very different then quitting, and is why I think the Pomodoro Technique (essentially, work for 25 min, break for 2-3 min, work for 25, break for 2-3, etc.) can be useful!

Challenge #5: Having a plan

People without a plan are flying by the seat of their pants. They’re subject to whims, and being overly driven by their emotions (ranging from “I feel great- let’s do all the things!” to “I don’t feel like it today). They also waste a lot of time figuring out what to do next.

• Develop a routine; put yourself on autopilot to save on your mental load.
• Try a brain-dump. Some people freeze when they’re overwhelmed. Seeing everything written out so that you can attack it one piece at a time may help. If the list is so long that it still seems unmanageable, try re-writing it with just the top 3 priorities, OR…
• Use a planner, even for non-study related activities. For “every minute spent in planning saves as many as ten minutes in execution.” So, if you spent just 10 minutes planning your day, it’ll save you more than an hour and a half! You can even leave space or time to still be spontaneous if that’s important for you. Win!

Time Management Isn’t Something We’re Born With

Time management is such a critical life skill, but for many of us it may not come naturally. The good part is that it can be taught- at any age. So to recap, here’s a summary of all the time management tools for teens (or anyone)!

The Complete List of Time Management Tools for Teens

1. Track how long it takes to do a task, and then use that info for planning 
2. Break jobs into 10-minute chunks and use a timer so there’s a clear, manageable time limit.
3. Use your maximum attention span for challenging tasks as a guide for how long to set the timer. Stretch it as you get better!
4. Break a task apart into smaller parts. So, the chore wouldn’t be, “Clean the bathroom” it would be “clean the toilet and sink,” “clean the tub,” “wipe down the mirror,” etc. 
5. Have something ‘fun’ planned as a small reward for completing the job (or doing it on-time, etc.)
6. Game-ify it with games like ‘Beat the clock’ or ‘how much can you clean during this song?’ The options are endless, so let your creativity shine!
7. Put the phone in a completely different room, with sound and notifications off. 
8. Turn off notifications on the smartwatch, too.
9. Use website blockers to prevent checking social media and other websites.
10. Try using white-noise.
11. Manage expectations of how much can realistically be done in a day. 
12. PRIORITIZE. Ask yourself, “does this get me closer to where I want to be?” Or on the opposite side, “what would realistically happen if I didn’t do this?”
13. Do a time-audit
14. Reclaim your ‘lost’ time 
15. Set aside extra time at the end of a task
16. If possible, start with the end. 
17. Reframe the ‘end’ as an entirely new task in it’s own right. 
18. Use a mantra like, “I can do anything for 10 minutes.”
19. Give yourself a scheduled break if you’ve been at it awhile. 
20. Try the Pomodoro Technique (essentially, work for 25 min, break for 2 min, work for 25, break for 2, etc.) using whatever time frames would be most helpful to you
21. Develop a routine for daily and weekly tasks.
22. Try a brain-dump. 
23. Use a planner, even for non-study related activities. 
24. Identify your most productive time of day