Does it already feel like the school year is impossible to get through? With assignments piling up and tests and quizzes coming seemingly out of nowhere, it can all feel like too much. Using a school planner can help organize academic and personal life while also making students more effective at studying and planning ahead.
Whether on a physical planner or digital app, noting down assignments, events, due dates and test days means not risking forgetting them. Remembering an assignment due right before going to bed is an awful feeling that can be preventable with careful planning.
At the end of every class or the end of the school day, write down all upcoming due dates and assessments in a planner. Go through the day without worry and simply check the planner at home. The planner acts as a to-do list and shows how much work to complete each day and gets students to plan ahead. Each person needs to find the system that they find the most useful, and there is a debate between a digital or physical planner.
Physical planners come in all themes and sizes so people can always find one that suits their taste. Plus, having a physical object you can hold and flip through can make it easier to motivate yourself to use. Writing on paper is proven to boost memory and provides the brain with more stimulation than typing.
However, some people find that using a physical planner is too much effort. Specific apps can be used to plan, and the Notes and Calendar app can be very powerful when used correctly. Notes allows things to be written in a list that is easily accessible on a phone or iPad, and the Calendar is perfect for giving reminders about upcoming tests and quizzes. Shifting things around is also much simpler digitally than erasing and rewriting on paper, making digital more flexible.
Regardless of the medium, consistently using a planner will organize a student’s academic life. Checking off a box on your planner or app will begin to feel rewarding and reduce procrastination.
I love using my Snoopy planner (which also includes cute stickers). Each day, I write my assignments with the upcoming due date next to it so I can prioritize. I also write any tests or quizzes coming up in the daily section and calendar section. This has been super helpful with determining how busy my night is going to be and planning out school events. (Photo/Yechang Liu)
