Technology has gifted us various new means to schedule and organize our activities, appointments, meetings and commitments. Only a fraction of us actually make use of these organizing tools. Not because we are not technically adept, but because we were not used to scheduling and organizing our time. And now, even the fanciest of devices cannot re-program us. In times to come, life would be busier. Our children would have to deal with even more than what we do today. It is wise therefore to teach them how to organize their day and time. Here are few simple ways to teach them: 1. Know what is important for your child the first basic step is for you to know your child`s interests. Scheduling is primarily a process of prioritizing. Unless you know yourself what your child values, you cannot guide him effectively to plan his day. 2. Keep a diary Let your child maintain a record of activities in a diary. It would have short lists like things he wants to do, friends he wants to visit, books he wants to read, and even food he wants to eat! The act of making a note makes your child more aware towards his actions and interests. 3. Make broad plans The reason why people avoid planning is because they make too detailed plans which are impossible to adhere to. In order to plan the day, begin by planning the week, or more specifically the weekend. Before the weekend arrives, let your child have a broad plan of what he wants to accomplish and complete. Gradually, move ahead to make a plan for the week. This gives your child a little flexibility while remaining within a structure. 4. Review the Plan some of us are guilty of making very good, but unexecuted plans. To solve this, we must alongside teach our children to review the previous week`s plan. In the beginning, there would be a lot of `carry-over` since your child is only learning to follow a schedule. The review will determine how to create the plan for the next week. 5. Leave room for your child`s spontaneity since children are bound to stray from the plan, leave room for them to do things of their choice. Do not plan everything. A good way is to set a time aside in the plan for your child to explore new activities, observe, or think, or just be on his own. This will gradually inculcate your child`s ability to think and reflect as well as get new ideas. 6. Teach them how to make a choice when your child makes a plan, you can clearly indicate the time of television viewing, or speaking with a friend over the phone, or playing a game on the computer, or visiting a friend. Children learn to restrain themselves, as they realize they cannot have it all in one day. A simple conversation like `We shall follow what is planned` is better than harsh disciplinary words. You would notice that your child will realize that since you respect the plan, they will not be denied anything, while at the same time, they will stop throwing a tantrum. 7. Keep time for enrichment Most people confuse entertainment with enrichment. The latter unfortunately comes only with effort. Do keep some time aside for reading or story-telling through which your child receives value education. If your child is older, you can encourage your child to undertake further study on topics which interest him. When you begin making a plan, you would notice there is a great deal of time that is squandered. This valuable time is actually the time which we can use to cultivate our child`s intelligence and quench his curiosities. When they are left unattended, children will gradually take the easier and more passive way to either watch television of simply hang around. Add value to their daily living, so that you may add value to their life.