How I Use My Simplified Planner In College

by Triasha, in category College, College Life, College Tips, Life, Productivity & Organization, Self-Development, Uncategorized

How A College Student Uses Her Simplified Planner

Hey, guys! Today I’m going to tell you about how I used my planner last semester. I use the daily academic edition of the Emily Ley Simplified Planner. This means that it has an hourly daily layout with dates that go from August to July, instead of January to December.

I try to use it every day but fail miserably once in a while. I think I’m just going to use the same planner next year to use the daily spreads when I need them and get a cheap planner for the calendar and weekly spreads. Before I digress too much, let’s get into the post.

//Weekly Planning//

Step 1//Write Out Tests, Assignment Due Dates, Etc. In The Bottom Boxes

When I get the syllabus, I always write out the assignments and test dates in my planner early. There are two boxes at the bottom: “Dinner” and “Notes.” I use one of the boxes for school assignments and the other box for work and blog posts. It doesn’t matter which item goes in which box. I’m not too Type A about it. I just need to know the big things happening that day.

Step 2//Sunday Before – I Write Out That Week’s Classes Out What Classes I Have That Week

Since classes happen at a regular time every week, every Sunday I’d write out what times my classes were. I’d write that on all the sheets from Monday through Friday that week.

Step 3//Sunday Before – Plan Out What Times I Will Go To The Gym And Eat Lunch

On Sundays, I’d also look at the fitness classes that week to see if anything fit in my schedule. If not, I’d pick a time to work out on my own at the gym. I’d also write down the times I had free for lunch because sometimes, I had no time and would eat a packed lunch while I walked to another appointment. Other times, I’d go to a restaurant with a friend. It all depended on that week. I always planned these two things out so I would know when to bring gym clothes or pack my own lunch.

Step 4//Day Before – Plan Out When I Will Study and Take Breaks

I usually waited until the day before when it came to planning out my day. If I had a test that day, I’d try to wake up earlier so that I could study for it. If I was up late the night before working on an assignment, I’d go to campus a bit later. I also wrote out when I would take breaks or do work. I wasn’t too strict with this, as you’ll see below. I just had a general time frame for everything I wanted to do.

Step 5//Day Before – Write My To-Do List

And best for last, I’d write out my To-Do list for the next day. I usually skipped a few lines between school work and personal to-dos just in case I needed to add anything and to create separation between the two. (I would also use different colors). That way, I could see what to prioritize. I usually wrote the to-do list in pencil so that I would be able to fix mistakes the next day and would cross everything out as I go.

How A College Student Uses Her Simplified Planner I Step 5

//Organization//

//Color Coding System

I don’t have a color coding system in the sense that every activity is sorted by a color. The colors changed every week for each category. I just needed to visually see a separation in each activity. I use the Pilot G-2 Premium Gel Ink Roller Ball Pens. They may seem a bit pricey, but they’ve lasted me more than two years and write SO smoothly. I always notice the difference when I use a different pen.

//My Calendar

I just set it up like any ordinary calendar. At the beginning of the semester, I wrote down the due dates for all the big assignments. I also wrote out birthdays, school breaks, and blogging plans. I didn’t look at this calendar unless at school because I have a calendar hanging in front of my desk at home that contained the same information, but it was good to have everything I needed written down in my planner.

//Editorial Calendar

During the school year, I didn’t have a proper editorial calendar because whenever I missed one blog due date, I’d procrastinate on everything else (#PerfectionistProblems), so I kept a post-it notes of the five or six blog posts I wanted to publish that month in the front of my planner. Whenever I published or scheduled a post, I’d cross it off the list. It was very satisfying and was one of the reasons I was able to publish so much in my first semester.

So, that’s my planner. I hope this helped you all.

Random Story – I took an Uber for the first time a few weeks ago. It wasn’t that bad, but the driver talked a lot. It was also the first time anyone had asked me where Bangladesh is in years. I had assumed people knew where the country is by now, but apparently not. I’m not complaining about that. The man was genuinely curious. It’s just that I haven’t been asked that in a while. (And it’s next to India if you didn’t know. Different language. Different religion. Different country. Please don’t confuse that.)

Well, goodbye for now.

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What type of planner do you use? How did you organize your planner in college?

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