Dear Crabby,
It’s a new semester and things seem to be going really well, but I know how bad my habits can be and I’m afraid I’m going to fall into the loop of putting off my assignments until the last minute again. I’ve tried a planner, notes in my pockets and even writing things down on my hands, but nothing seems to work. What do you do to try and remember assignments and manage your time?
Sincerely,
The Ultimate Last-Minute Starter
Dear Lots of Potential,
It’s never too late to start good habits such as time management and organization! I too have been known to keep putting things off until the last minute and then scurry to try and get them done, all while hoping Blackboard doesn’t crash and regretting my decisions. But, fear not! I have found many ways to help keep myself on track and stay on top of things as best I can.
For starters, I figured out that planners are not for everyone. They’re hyped up a lot, but I know only a handful of people that actually use them on a consistent basis. I’ve tried them a dozen times, and every single planner ends up in my bag unused after the first two weeks or so. I don’t even try to waste time or money on them. Instead, I’ve written down all of my assignments in chronological order with their due dates, typed it up, printed it out and taped it to the outside/inside of my binder. I put it in my binder because I know it’s something I’m going to use on a daily basis and allows me a quick glance of what all I need to look at for that week. I highlight things that will take longer (such as multi-page papers and large projects) that way I know to start those earlier.
Now, if you think a planner is the best thing for you, I have a helpful tip for those too! At the beginning of each semester, I print out all of my syllabi and fill out my planner with every assignment start date and due date. The most important key to this though; use a pencil! This way you can erase and your planner doesn’t get all cluttered, because, you know, every class schedule of assignments changes at least once. Also, use a highlighter! It’s the same concept as the printed list. You want to make sure your big assignments are noticeable and that you write them in your planner several times leading up to the day their due. Make yourself work on them a little bit at a time, then, when the time to turn it in gets there, you already have most (if not all) of it completed.
If you’re anything like me though, paper schedules are never going to be the best way to stay organized. I am always on my phone. Whether it’s to text someone, scroll social media, or pay my bills, everything happens on my phone. So, the best way for me to remind myself is with the calendar and reminder apps on my phone. I do the same thing I use to do for a planner, but in my phone. I sit down with the printed syllabi and put everything in my calendar with an alarm to pop-up when the date arrives. I put all of classes in as well so I know when I can schedule appointments or meetings too without their being an overlap. On top of setting everything in my calendar, I put things in my reminder app, mostly small tasks or big projects that I need extra reminders on. The reminders app can be set to remind you daily and keep a little notification dot in your notifications bar so it’s a constant reminder that you have something to do. Not only is it an annoyingly good way of keeping you on track, but you can make notes in the reminder such as instructions on the assignment or why you need to take care of that task.
There are several other ways to remind yourself of what you need to do and how to plan for them, but I’ve found that these are what works best for me. Feel free to try them out and tailor them to fit your needs if you feel like they’re something you can use. Just remember that the best way to get over procrastination is to start it, no matter how badly you want to watch that next episode instead.
Sincerely,
Crabby
