The new semester is here, and with a new year comes plenty of new assignments and responsibilities. It can certainly become overwhelming to keep track of every assignment you need to complete and every meeting you have to attend. That’s why I never go anywhere without my planner. I write down every assignment, every meeting, and everything I want to accomplish for the week. If you’re looking to set up your own planner, I’ve got some tips on how to effectively organize it!
Step One: Find a Planner That Works For You
The first step to organizing your planner is to find one that you like. Personally, my favorite types of planners are ones that have many boxes for each day, so that I can assign a box for each class I have. That makes it super easy for me to differentiate my assignments. If you’d rather place all your assignments in a single, larger box for each day, go for it! Or you might prefer a planner that has a schedule on each day, so you can put each meeting at a specific time. It doesn’t matter what kind of planner you get, just find one that will fit your needs.
Step Two: Assign a Different Color for Each Class
I personally love color-coding. If that kind of thing doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to skip this step. However, I find it really helps me keep track of what I have to do in each individual class if I assign each one a color. That way, I can quickly glance at my planner and see what class each task is for. I don’t have to specify that the essay that’s due is a Political Science essay if it’s already written in the color I’ve assigned to my Political Science class.
Step Three: Write Down Every Assignment
Your planner only works as well as you let it. The more you write down in it, the more it can help you. Personally, I write down pretty much everything. As soon as I get my syllabus for each class, I write in all of the assignments for the semester. That way, I can glance at a week a month out and have a general sense of how busy I’ll be. Going along with this, write down every due date as well. That way you’ll always know when things are due, and you can look ahead a few weeks to get a sense of what you should start working on now.
Step Four: Write Down Everything Else
You don’t need to just use your planner for school assignments either. I write other things I have to do in my planner as well. I include everything from doing laundry to starting job applications. If it’s something you need to do that day, write it down so you won’t forget.
I also write down all events and meetings I plan on going to. I don’t put in my classes, since that stays constant each week, but anything that changes from week to week I write down. This includes everything from office hours appointments to social events. By keeping everything in one place, I can easily check my planner to see when I’m free and when I have something I need or want to go to.
Step Five: Check Off All Completed Tasks
The best part of having a planner is getting to check off tasks once you finish them. And if you write down every task you need to do each day, you’ll get to check off plenty of them. Personally, I enjoy using a special colored pen to check off each task so that I can quickly glance at my planner and see what’s done. You could also cross out each task you complete, or add a checkbox next to each one. Find whichever works best for you and gives you the most satisfaction.
Having a planner is a great tool to stay organized and know exactly what you’re doing each week of the semester. Hopefully, these tips will help you set up a planner that works for you. Good luck this semester!
Image Credit: Feature, Writer’s Own