At level 4, young people need to develop and hone their time management skills, ready for independence when they will be need to be on time for work, college and appointments.
Good time management involves both good planning, and marking the passing of time during the day to remain on schedule.
Your young person needs:
- A smart watch or a smart phone
- An alarm clock
- A planner or diary (paper or phone app)
- A storage space for essential items
Time management tips:
- Test and develop your sense of time. Estimate how long it will take you to do something (e.g. shower, dress and brush teeth) and then time yourself while you complete the task. Are you an over-estimator or time, or under-estimator? If you tend to underestimate, you might need to double (or triple) your estimates.
- Try to allow more time than you need – you will then arrive places early and have a little bit of time to relax before the event – or you’ll be on time if you suffer an unexpected delay (e.g. bus is running late)
- Have a daily routine. Get up and go to bed at a set time wherever possible.
- Use a planner/diary to plan your day.
- Don’t arrange too many events for one day, and make sure there’s enough time between them for travelling.
- Use alarms/timers on your clock/watch/phone to remind you when you need to leave to go somewhere important.
- Set your phone/watch to vibrate every 30 minutes if you have trouble managing time. This will make sure that you check the time regularly.
- Prepare for the next day every evening. Make sure your clothes are ready and that all the things you need are in your storage space (e.g. door keys, bus pass, shoes).
Having a personal organiser with important contact numbers can also be a time-saver. Here’s a suggested version you can use or adapt:
