In my opinion, the first thing on your back-to-school shopping list should always be a planner. Mine has been invaluable to me throughout my school career, but especially during college when I became solely responsible for keeping my whole life together. It’s a big transition but a planner makes it so much easier to stay on top of your assignments, manage your time, and lift the weight of stress off your shoulders. Here are my top reasons why you should get your hands on an agenda book ASAP!
1. You’ll never forget an assignment again
We all have those moments (or hours…or days…) when our heads are so crammed with information that anything new just goes in one ear and out the other. An agenda book solves that issue by providing an outlet for all the information that doesn’t fit in your brain! You won’t have to frantically ask all your classmates for the biology homework, or realize during a lecture that you totally forgot to do the reading because it will all be in your agenda (just make sure you actually write things down).
2. Time management, time management, time management
I’m sure many of us have wished that we could just add a 25th hour to the day. With college courses, a social life, the need for sleep, a job, a family, and whatever else you have on your plate, it’s easy to stress out about time management. A planner can solve this problem too!
You’ll know exactly what you need to accomplish during the day and the week, and then you can create a whole schedule for yourself with a certain amount of time allotted to each activity. It will help you spot periods of time in your day that could be used more effectively and you won’t waste time because you’ll know exactly what you need to do next.
3. Relieves stress
Writing in my planner is honestly a therapeutic practice for me, because I love seeing my whole life on the pages. It relieves the stress of needing to remember tons of little details. Reviewing your planner is also a nice ritual, either before bedtime as a way of looking forward to the next day, or in the mornings in order to motivate yourself to seize the day! I usually look through my agenda in the evenings before I go to sleep, as part of my nightly routine. It helps me recap the day and start thinking about tomorrow, so I know exactly what’s coming up.
4. Versatility and Accountability
Planners aren’t just for writing down all your school assignments–use your book to keep track of eating habits, sleep, water intake, finances and daily spending, mental health, your emotions and moods, habits you’re trying to create or break, skills you want to develop, or practically anything else. If you want to get really fancy with it, check out bullet journaling. I use my planner to track how often I go to the gym–it really helps keep me accountable for staying on top of my goals because in a single glance I can see how often I’ve been exercising. I’d recommend incorporating any of the goals you have for yourself into your agenda. We all know that people who write down their goals and actively track their progress are more likely to achieve them!
5. Feeling of accomplishment
There’s nothing like the satisfaction of slashing your pen through another item on the to-do list. You’ll experience that thrill every single day if you use a planner. It’s always important to appreciate the small things in life, and I’ve found that crossing off tasks brightens my mood just a little. On those days where I hardly have time to breathe, I’ll take any pick-me-up I can get, even something so tiny as checking off chores on a list.
6. You’ll feel like a real adult who has their life together
Your agenda will make you more productive, efficient, relaxed, and just generally on top of things. Starting a new school year and becoming more independent can be a scary challenge, but a planner makes it so much easier. It’s a simple way to feel like you’ve got the whole “adulting” thing under control. So go buy yourself an agenda and start slaying at life–you got this!!