life skills
productivity
Time is Short- Make it Count!
By Lesley Martin
We get it—it feels like teachers are determined to
make sure you have no time for fun after school.
Your schedule may be chock full of projects,
reports, and presentations, but there are plenty
of things you can do to work more productively
and efficiently to decrease the time you spend on
homework and increase the time you spend on
you. Lesley Martin, professional academic coach
and founder of ClassTracker, shares her tips for
staying productive.
Focus On One Thing
At a Time Try the Pomodoro
Method Get Plenty of
Sleep
As much as we love having our phones to
entertain us between chapters or problem
sets, they really only hinder us. The brain
is designed to focus on one cognitively
demanding task at once. Studies have
shown that when students multi-focus
(i.e. doing homework while watching
TV), it slows them down by almost 40%.
By working in a totally distraction-free
zone, you are able learn better and faster. Your brain is a muscle. Like all other
muscles, it needs plenty of time to recover
after use. When we work without breaks,
our brains get tired and slow down. To
avoid this, try the Pomodoro Method!
Set a timer for 25 minutes, and work in
a totally distraction-free zone. Once the
time is up, take a five-minute device-free
break. (That means no checking Snap-
chat!) Cycle through this three more
times, and then take a 15-20 minute break. Recent research shows teens need at
least eight hours of sleep a night. During
sleep, the brain downloads what you have
learned during the day into your long
term memory. If you don’t get enough
sleep, your “memory stick” doesn’t com-
plete its download- leaving out key in-
formation. Also, because your “memory
stick” wasn’t cleared, there’s not as much
room for you to learn new material the
next day. In general, try to get as much
sleep as possible, but especially the night
before a big test. Trust us- your brain will
thank you.
Tips:
• Put your phone on airplane mode—if
you don’t know your best friend sent
you the latest viral meme, you won’t
feel the need to pick up your phone
and reply.
•
L38 |
Lesley Martin is a professional Academic Coach, best-selling
author of "Make the Grade" and “Where’s My Stuff ”
and former teacher at a top-ranked Bay Area
High School. For 20 years she's steered
students towards success by teaching them
how to manage their time and workload.
She’s also the founder of ClassTracker
(myclasstracker.com), a company that
sells tools that helps teenagers and college
students learn the skills they need to manage
time, projects, and activities all in one place.
ind a place to study in your house
F
where you won’t be interrupted or
distracted.
Winter 2018
Tips:
• Have your homework or study plan
prepared before you get started so you
know what you need to do for each
“Pomodoro session.”
• B rainstorm a list of device-free break
ideas. Here are a few: taking a snack
break, snuggling your pet, or practic-
ing five minutes of mindfulness.
www.potentialmagazine.com
Tip:
• A void using electronics at least 30
minutes before you go to bed- this will
help you fall asleep more easily.