Time management for teens (and mama!)

[Grantmom]

Hi all!

I would love to hear, if anyone is willing to take the time to explain and share, exactly how you have helped your teens or how your teens have devised plans on their own to manage their workflow, keep up with a lot of different online classes, and get it all done on time. Time management is not my forte. (I have the appearance of being organized and juggle a lot of things but usually, behind the curtain, I am struggling to keep my head above water. So I worry I'm not the best one to pass on good habits.) Specifically for teens taking multiple classes with a variety of different teachers, online locations, etc., how do they plan out their weeks and schedule their days?

I know people say things like, "write everything due in a planner," etc., but I'm just curious how people really do that. For example, with online classes, they have a lot of smaller assignments that might be already laid out in the online LMS for that course, so does your student actually transfer all of those things to some other system? That sort of seems redundant, but at the same time, how else are you going to see everything that needs to get done? And, if you write it all down in a paper planner and then don't get something done, it's hard to move things around. Plus, if you just write down that the week's work is due on Wednesday, how do you actually plan out getting that week's work done? Or if you write down that you have a paper due on October 5, you can't wait until October 4 to start writing it. (Okay, you can, but let's just say that really you can't.)

Does anyone use something other than a planner, like a to do list app, kanban board, or other list system like GTD-style (Getting Things Done)? 

I really want to empower my teen to ultimately be independent and manage his own time so that we don't butt heads over this, while still making sure I am not just dropping him in the deep end and letting him sink. 

Appreciate any thoughts! Thanks!

[almondbutterandjelly]

My dd uses a large bulletin board.  It has all the days of the week on Index cards in a row at the top.  Every assignment is listed on its own index card (color coded by class) and attached to the board on the day she wants to work on it.  Due dates are noted on the cards to help with time management.  Also, large assignments are broken down into smaller chunks to be completed daily rather than crammed all at once.  For instance, a chapter with 60 pages is spread out over several days, reading 10 pages a day.  She has a card that says "Read 10 pages" for that subject.

[Grantmom]

Thanks for sharing!

OKBud, are you using a paper planner then?

perkybunch, wow, that seems like a neat system! Kind of like a physical version of a Kanban board like Trello or something. I wonder if I have room for something like that. That might be good. I like the idea of being able to physically hold the card and move it around to other days.