Welcome to our new LW4K Video Series where we take an executive function skill and break it down into easy-to-understand examples. This series also provides examples of video games that can help your child enhance their executive functioning skills, as well as examples of when this skill can be utilized in real life. Click here to watch the third installment of the series: What is Time Management? The transcript of the video is also provided below for your convenience. A special thanks to our videographer Alexa for making this awesome video!

What is Time Management? 

Time Management is the thinking skill that helps you to: 

1. Complete tasks on time 
2. Make a daily schedule and…
3. Make a good guess at how long it will take to do something 

Time Management can help you to: 

1. Follow step by step instructions 
2. Turn in your homework on time and…
3. Identify time wasting activities and avoid them when doing homework or chores 

Here are some examples of when you might use time management in everyday life:

1. When you are getting ready to leave for school in the morning 
2. When you need to plan how long it will take to do your homework or a chore 
3. When you have to decide what chore to do first on a list 
4. When you make a plan to get together with friends at a certain time 
5. When you are planning breaks in between homework or chores 
6.  When you are looking at how long it will take you to get from one place to another 
7. When you are scheduling your hobbies or extracurricular activities 
8. When you make good decisions and avoid time wasters 
9. When you finish a test or quiz within the time provided

Time Management is also an important skill for playing video games: 

Video games can teach us how to work under pressure. In Katamari Damacy Reroll, the player controls a large ball called a katamar that grows in size as it picks up random objects. Each mission in the game is timed in one of two ways; the player either has a set amount of time to complete an objective or the player is trying to beat their previous time by rolling the katamari to a certain size. Both choices ask the player to work with a timer and require focusing on completing the task quickly. 

Video games can help us learn how to prioritize one task over another. In Animal Crossing New Horizons, the player has the option to spend their days fishing, crafting, chatting with their animal neighbors, planting, harvesting, and decorating. Because it would be impossible to do all of these things at the same time, the player needs to look at how much time they have to play the game and prioritize the tasks they want to accomplish the most.