It’s never too late to start setting up a planner to make your life easier. Planner organization is incredibly important! With effective planner organization, I save time and make my life easier. It’s easy to get started, and even easier to maintain with the system I use!
Getting Started
Pick a planner you love.
I’ve had a plethora of cute planners over the year, but my planner for my junior year is my favorite so far! I use this planner because I like the large size and cute design. If you’re looking for a new planner, you need to consider both functionality and appearance. My planner is my best friend, and it works really well for me! You need a planner that works for you. Ask yourself these questions to help guide you:
- Hard cover (more durable) or soft cover (lighter and flexible)?
- Large (lots of space to write) or small (portable)?
- School year (August-August) or calendar year (January-January)?
- Weekly view (gives an overview of a whole week at a time) or daily view (gives more space for each individual day)?
I really like my planner because it has both a monthly and daily view. It’s fairly large, and it has a nice, flexible cover and big, gold binders.
I was also sent another planner for free that has gotten awesome reviews online. It’s a Class Tracker, and it’s made especially for students. It’s super cute and comes in a variety of colors. My little sister is using it and she enjoys it! It’s made just for students. Get it here. It works great for people who enjoy seeing a week view and sorting assignments out!
Get your supplies!
Your supplies are nearly as important as your planner itself. If you’re anything like me, you love cute office supplies. This is the perfect excuse to get and actually use some. I use…
- Colorful pens. I coordinate a specific color to a specific class, so I have one pen for each class.
- Post-it flags. These also correspond in color to my classes, and I use these so much. They’re the secret to setting my planner up perfectly.
- Post-it notes. Everyone needs good, happy post-it notes to leave notes to yourself inside your planner!
Set aside time to work on it.
This isn’t something to throw together, especially if you want it to work for a long time. It’s fun to organize and see your life coming together, but it does take time. However, once you have it set up, it will make your life work so much more easily!
Inside My Planner
When I got my syllabi from my professors, I wrote down every test, quiz, paper, and homework assignment on a colored sticky tab and placed the tab on the due date for that specific assignment. This is key for several reasons. Every class has a different color tab to easily organize them in my brain. Plus, I can easily move the tabs if a due date changes (and I avoid gross scribbling out!).
When I complete an assignment/quiz/test, I move the tab over to my designated “completed” list. This is such an incentive to complete assignments early… I’m decluttering my month, and I can easily see what is finished!
In pencil, I tend to write what I need to work on on specific days, just to organize ideas in my mind.
In the daily view, I block off when my classes are. This coordinates to the same colors I used for the assignments! Then, to the side, I write down readings that are due for each class and other events I have going on in a neutral color. I also block of time that I’m setting aside for studying, and I’ll pencil in events or work that I have going on.
I keep it fun and flexible! I doodle and add special decorations for fun events, cross off days when I don’t have class, and block off fun weekends. This makes my planner something I want to use. Daily, I reevaluate and pencil in times I may want to study or assignments I may want to complete on a specific day.
A planner can be your best friend when you feel overwhelmed by all your assignments in college, and I definitely recommend my own method. However, you have to find something that works best for you. Stay positive and stay on top of your work!
