Radio Commentary
Which people are the most successful in life? Sometimes we see that it is not necessarily those who are the brightest or the most highly educated or the most well-intentioned.
Sometimes success is simply a function of being well-organized and staying the course. Woody Allen made famous the quote that “80 percent of success is showing up.”
Whether a child is in school or outside the classroom, being organized before showing up is an important trait that can make a real difference.
One good way to help children get in the habit of being organized is to buy them a big calendar. It should have lots of space to write on each day. The bigger, the better.
Encourage children to write key dates on the calendar, such as birthdays, school holidays, medical appointments, and planned outings.
Have them mark the dates they have to be somewhere regularly, such as after-school sports practices or music lessons.
Next, have them add the due dates for homework assignments, especially those that will take time to complete. And be sure they write in dates for exams.
Help children get into the habit of checking the calendar every weeknight for the next day’s activities. Talk about what needs to be done to prepare. Sunday night is a good time to check on what’s happening throughout the following week and to add new things that are coming up.
In many families, a calendar has proven to be the key to helping children schedule time wisely and stay organized — a habit that proves valuable throughout life.
