Disclosure: I received this book to review. The post contains affiliate links; opinions shared are mine.
Over the 18 years that I’ve taught middle school, I’ve heard lots of stories about busy families. Parents send notes to ask for their children to be excused from their assignments for one reason or another. Students go into long diatribes about birthday parties, relatives who suddenly fell ill, and yes — the dog that ate their homework. When I became a parent, my perspective on schoolwork changed somewhat. My children are responsible for completing homework, projects, and test preparation. We’ve had our fair share of busy mornings, when I realize I forgot to check the take-home folder, or when my son needed 3 photos of himself to take to school that day. Then we have after school activities to consider; sports, church, and music lessons keep us running most days. Does any of this sound familiar? It’s time to teach your kids how to protect their time. When I received the book What’s the Deal with Teens and Time Management? to review, I was struck by the thinness of the book. Could author Leslie Josel really explain the time crunch solution in just 77 pages? Yes, she can. It’s totally worth the $3.99 Kindle price. By using her ideas, I feel like I have a working plan for the coming school year. Teens and time management might not seem like they go together, but you can (and should!) help your child to become a responsible, successful young adult.
Our calendar stays pretty full. In May, we had something going on nearly every day. On some days, we had more than one place to be after school. There wasn’t time to run home and grab some forgotten item; procrastination meant that our whole house of cards could come crashing down. Don’t get me wrong; we’ve done the last minute project and heard that lecture. It’s enough to drive a person to madness! Josel explains that teens struggle with specific basic steps of time management. By figuring out the biggest challenge for your teen, you can help him overcome that obstacle. Josel emphasizes that the big picture needs to be the ultimate goal. One grade or assignment isn’t the end game; the skill learned will benefit your child in the long run. I applauded Josel for encouraging parents to give their children ownership of their responsibilities. This is one area that I find lacking in many of my students; parents are quick to jump in and save their children from minor lapses in responsibility. I hope that when my children go to college, they will take their materials to class. I won’t be there to drop things off by the professor’s door. Why not start those expectations now?
Don’t think you’re off the hook, though. Getting your teen to a good place with time management will require you to be organized, too. Consider how committed you are; can your schedule really accommodate one more activity? Take the time to plan with your child, and include her input. Write it down on a spreadsheet or calendar, and include weekends so that you get a true sense of your available time. Josel offers a great printable Time Map on her website. We used a similar chart when helping our nephew organize his time for his first college semester. Don’t wait that long to get your child to a good place in the time management spectrum! Now that school is out for many children, it’s the perfect time to practice some of these suggestions. Try to implement one or two each week until the process is smooth as silk for your family. For us, Chapter 7 (“How Do I Get My Teen Out the Door in the Morning?) was illuminating. I’ve stewed in the car, honking the horn and muttering under my breath, many mornings while waiting for my daughter to make it down the steps. Can you imagine how much sanity this book could save me?
Finally, Josel realizes that there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach to teach kids about time management. She also encourages parents to forgive their kids when there’s a lapse in management. That doesn’t mean saving your child from consequences. That’s a natural part of life. Instead, going through the effort of improving time management can help you to strengthen your parent-child relationship. The bonus? It can also make your life just a little bit easier!
I know that my daughter has stayed very busy ever since she has become a teenager. She does a marvelous job managing her time! She keeps up her schoolwork and her job without any complaints!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! I am so happy you found the book useful! So glad that we connected over teens and time management! Let me know if you have any additional questions for you or your readers.
While we are all going to forget, come in late, or just get overwhelmed at times, it is important that teens and adults organize, manage, and be responsible. Even as children get older, it’s good to start giving them more things. Most kids need help managing. They don’t just know how to organize or prioritize. Like you said, it’s important to be a part of it. Help them and work together to get a schedule going.
Excellent review! When mine were teens my daughter seemed to effortlessly and successfully manage her time – almost like it was second nature to be so productive and organized. My son? …not so much. This book would have come in very handy for me then. Thanks for the introduction!
Even in summer, you can work on time management and scheduling. Kids need to get in plenty of sleep and play time, but there are responsibilities, too. Whether it is working with a sports schedule, camps, summer school, vacation….time management skills can still be practiced. We manage our time and jobs daily. Give your kids small chores and a time they have to be done in.
These are great skills for parents and kids to learn, especially nice when they work together to build on time skills. Time management is often thought of as common sense, but it still needs to be taught and worked on at all ages.