Time Management skills for high school students are an invaluable asset.

Juggling homework, exams, extracurricular activities, and responsibilities can be stressful; with this blog post master the art of time management and productivity tips where I reveal my secret tips that I personally used to manage school work as well as 8 years full of science fairs, and ISEF winning projects.

But…before we get started if you would like to get a deeper dive into conducting science research and coming up with a research projects, check out my YouTube channel, Rishab Jain, with the best strategies and awesome videos and playlists like these: How to Pick a Science Research Project Idea: FULL GUIDE A Full Course on Science Research: How to do Research in High School Course Time Management Tip 1: Minimize Cheap Dopamine Hits!

Your phone is a problem…that’s the true reality.

Every 5 minutes when you go to check your phone, the colorful notifications lure you in with cheap dopamine hits that will encourage you to spend countless hours on your phone scrolling.

To regain control of your time and focus, start by silencing non-essential notifications on your phone.

I would suggest you put your phone in another room and create designated time blocks for checking messages and social media, rather than succumbing to the constant urge to respond immediately.

You will reclaim valuable time for more meaningful and productive activities such as extracurriculars or homework.

Do not ever replace your grades for a little time on the phone.

Grades come first.

Actions Getting started is the key part of any goal you’re trying to reach.

A technique that is well-known to minimize the amount of cheap dopamine hits on a daily basis is The Monk Mode.

Right after you wake up from sleep in the morning, a monk doesn’t touch social media or other unnecessary apps for at least 5 hours after your wake up time.

This will drastically decrease the amount of time you spend on your and will prioritize the amount of time you spend focusing on school work.

Time Management Tip 2: Use the Pomodoro Technique You can be unstoppable once you get into the work and flow state where no distractions are prevalent in your mind.

You are laser focused on the homework at hand.

To get to know more about deep work, I would suggest this great book by Cal Newport called Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World.

To get into the flow state, put yourself a timer for 25 minutes.

In those 25 minutes, you will not be vulnerable to distractions and only focus on finishing the work.

After those 25 minutes, you get to take a break and do whatever you would like to boost your interest for the next session.

This technique allows you to create time increments and constraints that will trick your mind into staying focused.

Productivity Tip 1: My SECRET Strategy to Getting Straight A’s at Harvard You might be thinking, “Well, Rishab, didn't you say that setting goals is stupid?” Yes, indeed they are, but setting SMART Goals aren’t…Let me explain Your goals need to be: S

- Specific: Make a goal specific and narrow for more effective planning M

- Measurable: Make sure your goal and progress are measurable A

- Achievable: Make sure you can reasonably accomplish your goal within a certain time frame R

- Relevant: Your goal should align with your values and long-term objectives T

- Time-based: Set a realistic but ambitious end date to clarify task prioritization and increase motivation Now, this is a specific actionable goal that you can actually track and measure for success.

Don’t just focus on the goal, only focus on the process.

Systems are a set of routines and habits that you follow consistently to achieve your goals.

Actionable Example Process: Fix time and place for studying Pomodoro Technique Minimize dopamine hits These are the actions that ultimately will make goals happen such as getting all A’s this semester.

I, myself, being a youtuber and researcher have specific systems in place to turn my goals into reality.

If you want to learn more about this system oriented process, check out my video that reveal all the secrets: My SECRET Strategy to Getting Straight A's at Harvard SO, instead of focusing on the goals, focus on the SYSTEM.

Productivity Tip 2: Stop Cramming!

- Evidence Based Technique to Enhance your Memory Imagine this, you spent hours cramming for an exam but when it’s time to take the test you find yourself struggling to remember what you have just learned.

So for the next test use these two techniques to get an A+: Active Recall

- Re-reading is completely a waste of time.

You should try to retrieve information from memory rather than reading a page again and again trying to stick it to your brain.

There is tons of research that shows that active recall is that single most effective study technique since it helps strengthen connections between neurons, and enhance your memory retention.

Spaced Repetition

- On the other hand, after you have done the active recall phase, information is better retained for your long term memory when you revise at intervals rather than in one crammed session.

Why?

Well simply because humans forget things over time.

It is called the Forgetting Curve: If we leave our brain unnoticed and let it forget we might never be able to ace that next test.

To solve this problem, you need to constantly keep reviewing material which won’t let the curve drop down exponentially.

Using this technique will create memory sparks which will further strengthen our neurons and help in our long term memory.

Ditch the old cramming technique, be more proactive and use these two techniques to ace your next test.

Good Luck!

Bonus Tip: Everything begins with Motivation If you don’t have the motivation how will you succeed?

My motivation comes from helping other students thrive to unlock their full potential.

This is why I make countless videos in my Rishabacademy course(aimed at behind-the-scenes secrets to winning STEM competitions & getting into elite science programs).

I want to make a positive impact in your education by helping highly motivated people reach the next level.

Personally, to keep me motivated during the school year I try to meditate to keep my mind fresh from all the other distractions and I also journal most days which helps me write down all my thoughts to keep a fresh mind while doing homework or any other extracurriculars.

One very helpful thing I do is to keep a bookmark folder called “sweating” to organize my school, clubs, and olympiad link in one place.

This helps me gather all the complex information into one pile for me to easily check some important links or to get a reminder of what I want to ultimately achieve.

Trust me on this, It will help you…because I want you to not just reach for the stars—but to actually grab them.