This is the third article in our four-part series on college prep life skills. So far, we’ve covered independent living basics (money, food, and home care) and health, safety, and mental wellness. Next up: the skills that keep everything else running on schedule, managing time well and getting from place to place safely and independently.
Why Time Management and Mobility Go Hand in Hand
Time management is a challenge for everyone, but college tends to raise the stakes. A typical day might include classes, study groups, labs, homework, extracurriculars, volunteering, errands, and a social life, on top of everything from the first two articles in this series. None of it works without a plan for managing time, and without a reliable way to get to all of it.
1. Time Management Skills for Teens
How to Use a Calendar (and Actually Stick to It)
A calendar of upcoming commitments, obligations, and opportunities is one of the simplest ways to stay on top of a busy life. It can look like almost anything: a classic wall calendar, a box of index cards sorted by date, a digital calendar on a phone or tablet, or a giant whiteboard. There’s no single right format, just one that matches how your teen thinks and works.
Whatever system your teen lands on, it should include a few things:
- Documentation: A way to capture things in real time as they come up, whether that’s adding an event to a phone calendar on the spot or jotting it in a notebook to transfer later.
- Consolidation: A daily check-in, at least once a day, to look at what’s coming up and pull anything from a notebook into the main calendar.
- Confirmation: An end-of-day review confirming that everything on the to-do list got done, cancelled, or rescheduled.
- Planning: Using the calendar to map out the next day, so your teen starts each morning with a plan instead of scrambling.
Encourage your teen to treat their calendar seriously. It’s a road map, but it’s also a commitment to themselves.
Balancing Deadlines, Classes, and a Social Life
Balancing competing plans, dreams, responsibilities, and obligations is one of the enduring challenges of adult life. Almost no one gets it perfect, but a little structure goes a long way.
Start with a full list of everything that needs doing, from small errands to major obligations. Then sort it onto a simple grid: one axis for urgent versus non-urgent, the other for important versus not important.
Tasks that are both urgent and important come first. From there, work down to urgent-but-less-important tasks, then important tasks with a longer runway. Anything that’s neither urgent nor important probably doesn’t need to be on the list at all.
Once priorities are clear, block out time on the calendar for the tasks that matter most, and break anything that feels too big into smaller pieces that are easier to chip away at.
2. Transportation and Getting Around Independently
A teen who’s used to being driven everywhere is going to need a new plan once they’re on their own. Personal vehicles offer freedom to go wherever, whenever, but they come with car payments, insurance, fuel, and maintenance, all of which add up fast. Public transportation is generally more affordable and comes without the upfront costs or maintenance responsibilities, but it runs on fixed routes and schedules.
Basic Car Maintenance Every Teen Driver Should Know
Most of us aren’t professional mechanics, and that’s fine, but every teen driver should have a handful of basics down:
- Fluids: Checking oil, coolant, and other fluid levels, and topping off as needed.
- Tire pressure: Checking and maintaining proper tire pressure.
- Battery: How to test, jump-start, and replace a battery.
- Tire changes: How to use a jack, loosen and tighten lug nuts, and understand the limits of a spare “donut” tire.
- Wipers: When and how to replace windshield wipers.
For a refresher on any of these, a quick search for the car’s year, make, and model alongside the specific task usually turns up a solid step-by-step video tutorial.
Navigating Public Transit or Rideshare Safely
On public transportation, the goal is staying safe while being a considerate member of the community:
- Stay aware of your surroundings.
- Travel with friends when possible.
- Stay behind the yellow line on train platforms.
- Choose a seat near the driver or operator.
- Avoid sleeping on transit, especially when riding alone.
For rideshare specifically:
- Confirm the vehicle’s make, model, and license plate, along with the driver’s name, match what the app shows.
- Call a ride from a safe pickup spot, ideally somewhere you can wait indoors until it arrives.
- Wear a seatbelt.
Whatever the mode of transportation, sharing location with friends, family, or other trusted people lets everyone know your teen made it home safely.
With time management and transportation handled, your teen has the organizational skills to keep their days running smoothly. The last piece is knowing how to talk to the people they’ll encounter along the way, professors, landlords, employers, and anyone else whose help they might need. That’s where the final article in this series picks up.
More From This Series: Is Your Teen Ready for College? A Life Skills Checklist for Parents
- Part 1: College Prep 101: Money, Meal Prep, and Home Care Skills for Teens
- Part 2: Health, Safety, and Mental Wellness: Preparing Your Teen for College Life
- Part 4: Teaching Teens to Communicate Like Adults: A College Prep Guide for Parents (Coming Soon)
Sources
Boys & Girls Club of America, Effective Time Management Skills: 6 Tips & Tools to Help Youth Succeed
healthychildren.org, Teaching Time Management to Teens: Less Stress, More Balance
