When I’m trying to manage my time between homework and hobbies, help me to create a visual schedule or planner, so that I can balance my responsibilities and still have time for activities I enjoy. 

At her desk in her bedroom, Mia was surrounded by textbooks, pencils, and an unfinished sketch. She adored both studying and drawing, but lately, keeping up with her homework and hobbies had become quite the challenge.

Mia usually tackled her time impulsively, switching between schoolwork and her artwork whenever she felt like it. She enjoyed going with the flow, and it had been fine until now. But this school year was proving tougher. As her workload grew, her old method wasn’t cutting it anymore. Her quick Automatic System was struggling to handle all these new responsibilities. She felt frustrated about how much time homework took, leaving her little room for painting. So, she rebelled and skipped homework or studying, which unsurprisingly led to her grades dropping.

Inside Mia’s head, the parts that usually made quick decisions were finding it hard to balance everything. Other parts started to wake up, realizing she needed a more organized approach. This was Mia’s Step 1 moment, realizing she needed to change things up.

“Is there a better way to manage my time?” Mia pondered. “How can I save time each day for my hobbies?” “How much time should I spend on homework?” These questions showed her Deliberate System was kicking in.

Seeing Mia’s struggle, her older sister, Sarah, stepped in to help. Together, they started Step 2, looking for info on time management. Mia learned that focusing on one task at a time and sticking to a schedule were key. She also thought about how falling behind in her work would impact her goals. When she thought about the rewards and how they related to her desire to improve her painting, she was ready for the next step.

Mia identified the rewards in Step 3, forming outcome statements. “I need a visual schedule to balance homework and painting time,” she decided. She focused on visual scheduling tools, exploring how planners and apps could help her stay organized. With the first quarter ending soon, she wanted to be ready for the next one.

In Step 4, she ranked what mattered most to her and used that to rank the tools based on how well they fit her needs. Finally, she found a planner app that suited her—a visual scheduler that let her block out time for homework and art.

Before buying the app, Mia reviewed her process in Step 5, making sure it matched her values and needs. She could already see how being organized would give her more time for painting.

With Sarah’s help, Mia set up her daily schedule using the app, assigning specific time slots for homework and leisure. This was Step 6, getting her plan into action.

During Step 7, Mia stuck to her schedule diligently, finishing her assignments on time and enjoying moments of artistic expression. She kept the app updated so she always knew how much time she had for painting.

As time passed, Mia saw how the visual schedule helped her manage her time, letting her pursue her hobbies without neglecting her schoolwork. In Step 8, she celebrated her success.

Excited about her progress, Mia shared her experience with her friends, advocating for a more systematic approach to time management and recommending the tool she used.

Through her journey from impulsive decisions to a more thoughtful process, she learned that with her family’s help, she could succeed even with tricky issues. Her new drawings and improved grades were proof of the power of using Deliberate System thinking in big decisions.