We all have that one friend who has way too much going on in her life but somehow manages to get good grades, maintain a social life and somehow still get eight hours of sleep most nights. What’s her secret? I can almost guarantee that she has a kick-a$$ planner to keep up with her busy, demanding life. Staying organized and having a pretty planner that actually motivates you and makes you want to get things done is key to staying on top of things. So if you need to get organized or just jazz up your current planner, follow these steps to upgrade your planner game.
1. Invest in a higher quality planner.
If you pick out a cheap planner from Walmart, chances are you are not going to cherish it as much as you would a classier, higher quality planner that you spent a pretty penny on. Don’t get me wrong, you can still be organized with a cheaper planner, but you will be more motivated to use a planner that you spent some money on and looks much nicer.
2. Personalize it.
Perhaps the most important step in ensuring that you love your planner is making it your planner. This can mean putting your favorite stickers on the cover, writing in pink pen because it is your favorite color, drawing little flowers on every page and so on.
3. Write down all upcoming events/exams that you know of.
To get your planner started, take all the syllabi from your classes, calendars from work, schedules for clubs you’re in, etc. and put in all the dates of exams, assignments, meetings, gatherings and whatever else into the planner. This should already take off most of the stress you have from trying to remember all those dates since now they are right there in front of you.
4. Create a to-do list each week.
There are lots of things to do each week that might not have specific dates, including doing your laundry, going grocery shopping, etc. Be sure to include these in your planner as well by creating a weekly to-do list. Now you should have everything you have to do for each week in your planner, so there are no excuses for “forgetting” to go to the gym.
5. Keep it up-to-date.
Your entire planner would pretty much be useless without this step. Whenever you are given an important date of an upcoming meeting, exam, birthday party, etc., it is so important to write it in your planner as soon as possible so you remember it.
By following these steps, you’ll be looking at your planner all the time, and as a result, you should find yourself being more productive. These tips have worked for me and have allowed me to keep my crazy life in check, so try it out. You may be surprised at everything you can get done.
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