Just in time for the back-to-school flurry of activities, Green Ivy founder, Ana Homayoun, outlines some of the strategies we employ to students manage their time and stay organized for Your Teen Magazine. She addresses the fact that while most students have great intentions when the school year begins to start anew and stay organized and focused, most lack the concrete habits and strategies to make these goals a reality. Although many parents and educators believe teens should develop these habits on their own, as Ana points out, “they don’t have biology or technology on their side.”
She also notes:
The teenager’s underdeveloped prefrontal cortex can make it difficult to prioritize long-term benefits (having a rough draft of an essay done ahead of time) with short-term pleasure (texting with friends or a romantic interest).
This, coupled with today’s ‘distraction landscape’ makes the situation far more complex than ever before. Today’s teens find that the same computers and tablets they need to use to complete assignments often provide the biggest distractions from getting any work done. Most adults admit to struggling with managing technology use, so we can’t assume teenagers—who are dealing with hormones, distractions, and daily stresses—should somehow be better at self-regulation.
To read the rest of the article and Ana’s five key tips, click here.