Have you ever felt like your daily to-do list is taking over your life? You’re not alone. Meet Alex. He’s a high school junior. But wherever you are, you’ve probably been where he is: overwhelmed by homework, extracurricular activities, and his social life. He changed his situation with a seemingly counterintuitive strategy: limiting himself to three tasks to help him with time management.

The first step he took was identifying three essential tasks. At the beginning of the week, Alex sat down to assess the responsibilities he had coming his way. He reflected on what he needed to accomplish in the next few days and, after reviewing his activities and assignments, chose three tasks to focus on in order of highest priority to lowest: a research paper due at the end of the week, a math test scheduled for Friday, and a group project due the following week.

In his second step, Alex identified the research paper as his highest priority task for Monday and Tuesday by realizing what everyone should do: not all tasks are created equal. He dedicated significant time to his paper to write a solid draft, knowing that if he could get ahead, he would feel less pressure in the face of his approaching deadline.

For his third step, Alex managed his other responsibilities. While he picked his three main tasks, he still realized the different responsibilities that required his attention. His strategies to manage these smaller tasks were few and simple: time blocking, weekly review, and setting boundaries. He set specific times during the day to address things like responding to messages and light reading for his literature class, allocating 15 minutes after lunch for them. Alex reviewed his accomplishments at the end of each week and reassessed his priorities for next week. This reflection allowed him to adjust his approach and ensured his focus on the truly important over the drudgery. Finally, he communicated his focus on schoolwork to his friends, letting them know that while he might not be available for every hangout, he valued their friendship and would catch up with them very soon.

The outcome was beautiful: less stress and more accomplishment. Focusing on a few essential tasks allowed him to manage his workload effectively, leading to better school performance and work-life balance.

Alex benefitted from focusing on just three tasks. You can get these benefits, too. Try this next time you’re feeling overwhelmed; it’ll work wonders.

By Kristopher Heaton, Tutor and Academic Coach with Tutoring For Success

Kris and our other academic coaches work with students to develop and implement systems for success.

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