Create a Schedule
The time management skills are essential to success in Grade 11 and 12.
The following recommendations are flexible and are meant to help you think about ways that you can succeed.
- Keep a Balance. Keep the things you love:
Music Art Sport Friends Family Dinner Bushwalking Bike Riding Sleep - these activities keep your brain healthy and will help you recharge so you can be at your best all year.
- Be Efficient
Plan for school and work the night before.
Pack your bag for school the next day
Consider all your outstanding homework or assignments can they completed after school tomorrow?
Do you have something else you want to do tomorrow? If so, maybe you need to finish your work today?
Prioritize... Make a To Do list. Sometimes you can make separate lists - Urgent to do/Coming up to do/ Other things I want to do.
Keep a list of all work, assignments and exams that are due in order of priority. A small white board is great for this.
Check/cross off/Erase each one as you complete them.
Add to the list as you go along – this will become your master list.
Make achievable goals. All goals should be SMART goals:
S = specific (e.g. “I will start on my Music assignment this afternoon and complete write three possible themes/melodies”)
M = measurable (e.g. “My 3 melodies should be at least 4 bars long”)
A = achievable
R = realistic
T = timely
The specific goal of completing 3 paragraphs of the English assignment must be attainable, realistic and timely.
Do not procrastinate. Just get started, then edit or throw away or start again. It is very tempting to delay starting work. Most of us are procrastinators. Give yourself a reward for getting started! Your rewards are your choice. Make them valuable and desirable.
Make the schedule
Sporting and other activity commitments
20-40 minutes of daily Music Practice - You can decide whether you include include Band, Music lessons at school, Lessons on your instrument in this daily schedule.
Weekend commitments
Family Time
Time to relax and unwind
Time for studying and working
Time for catch up studies or assignments.
High school students usually need to spend anywhere between one to three hours on music tasks outside of their class per week.
Here's a possible daily schedule:
6:00am to 7:00am Free time
7:00 am to 4:00 pm: school (including time taken to prepare for school, travelling time and so on)
4:00 to 5:00 pm: Social Sports/Music (Band with friends)/Art work
5:00 to 6:00 pm: free time
6:00 to 7:00 pm: study time period 1 (reserved for work which has been prioritized by you in your master list)
7:00 to 7:30 pm: dinner
7:30 to 8:30 pm: study time period 2
8:30 to 9:30 pm: free time
9:30 pm: sleep
This schedule provides 2 hours of study time and time for bed at a reasonable hour – 9.30 pm.
High school students may need more or less study time depending on their school and whether exams are looming or otherwise.