Find relief from your planner

If any of you are like me, school is not your only commitment. Maybe you are at a practicum or internship site. Maybe you are holding down a job or two. Maybe you spend a lot of time with friends and family (lucky!). Maybe you’re swamped with homework, getting overwhelmed just looking at all they syllabi and due dates. I ABSOLUTELY felt this way when the semester started. However, one obvious solution has been such a blessing to me: a planner.

It seems so simple. Of course we should use a planner to keep track of all those due dates and events coming up. However, I use my planner for literally EVERYTHING. I put my work schedule, my class assignments, things I have to pick up at the store, and other to-do list items that come up all in my planner. Here are a couple of tips I have to help make your planner useful:

1.     Color coordination. Make each class a different color. Make work a separate color from that. That way, let’s say you need to know when the next paper for assessment or practicum is due, you can simply look for the corresponding color.

2.     Nothing is too little. It may seem tedious to put in that you have to watch a video from a session, or you have to respond to D2L posts, but it will help you remember and keep you motivated.

3.     Cross things off. NOTHING is better than crossing things off after they’re done. That in and of itself is a relieving feeling, so do it!

4.     Sticky notes. Sometimes, depending on your planner, you may run out of room to put something. Make quick use of sticky notes. Just keep it in check so there aren’t dozens of them flying out of your planner.

5.     Format. Make sure you get a good planner. They cost a little bit more but it will make it worth it to help you stay organized. I recommend one that has months and weeks laid out so you can see a snapshot of what is to come, especially if there’s a bigger project coming up.

6.     Keep up with it. When you first sit down and put everything in it, it can feel overwhelming to see it all. Tackle things one at a time and remember to keep adding to it as things come up. Your class project group needs a portion of the project done by next week? Add that in there!

7.     Go out and tackle it all. Magically, you planner can turn into your to-do list in order to keep up with classes/commitments.

I hope this helps you like it helps me. If you are interested, there is a website that gives you another alternative to making a to-do list. Check it out! http://bulletjournal.com

Thanks,

Tyler!