There are two types of people in this world—people who like to color code their planners and people who don’t use their color-coded planners. This article is for the second type of people who need help organizing their planners so it’s easy to follow and not a hassle to keep up with. For those who use a planner but don’t organize it at all, that’s okay too; but speaking as a color-coding planner myself, I can assure you it will make your life 10x less stressful (but, hey, that’s just me)!
Here are 6 ways to organize your planner. What you’ll need: highlighters, colored pens, post-its and your creativity!
1. Buy (or make) the best planner for you.
First thing’s first: choose a planner that you think provides the best tools and space for you. Personally, I like the ones that have both monthly and weekly overviews with margin space to quickly jot down small notes. I try to stay clear of the planners that break up the weeks by hours. However, if you think you would manage best with this type of schedule you got to do what’s best for you!
2. Write down your homework.
Whether you have your homework written down or somewhere embedded in your brain, there’s going to be a quiz due at midnight that you’re going to forget about last minute. But at least writing out all your homework ahead of time will reduce the chances of that happening. Using your class syllabuses, write down all of your assignments using a different color for each class.
3. Emphasize your exams and big projects.
Write down all of your exams and big projects and papers. Capitalize and highlight them in respect to the colors you assigned for each class for your homework. Exams and term papers are (obviously) more important than anything else in your planner, so it’s a good idea to make them stand out against everything else.
You may, also, want to put these assignments on small post-it notes instead of writing them down directly in your planner. These deadlines are more likely to get pushed back, meaning the due dates may easily change. Using post-its allows you to easily move them to the new due date without making a cluttered mess in your planner by having to scratch things out and use arrows. You can color code the post-its according to your classes, as well.
4. Include other commitments.
Write down your work schedule, events, birthdays and any other meetings or commitments that you may have. Highlight these accordingly but categorize these more generally. For example, highlight your work/intern schedule in orange, appointments in green and events in blue.
5. Use both a monthly and weekly view.
If you have a planner with both a monthly and weekly view, take advantage of both of them. Use your weekly view to write down all of your homework/projects/exams, and use your monthly view to write down just your exams and big projects, work schedule and other appointments. This will give you a bird’s eye view into the future so you can mentally prepare ahead of time. It also gives you an idea of when to start preparing for exams and starting that 10-12 page paper.
6. THE BEST PART—crossing things off.
The best part about using a planner is crossing things off and the feeling of accomplishment by doing this. Crossing things off gives you a visual idea of what you’ve done and still need to do. Every time you cross something off a little tiny weight will be lifted from your shoulders, I guarantee!
There is no right or wrong way to organize your planner. In fact, this is only one of hundreds of ways to do so, but it’s basic and it’s a start. Hopefully this will point you in the right direction and provide inspiration for you in designing your own planner! Just taking one day before the semester starts to do this will give you all you need to prepare and be organized for the rest of the semester. Good luck, collegiettes™, and stay organized!