1. Choose the right planner for you: it could be a soft cover, ring binder, desk pad or even an electronic calendar. Some people prefer their calendar to be something they can physically write in while others find it convenient to have it on their phones which is always with them.
2. Personalise your calendar to include everything you need: put your contact details in the front in case you lose it, you might like to write down motivational quotes, important telephone numbers and birthdays, holidays, exam times or other important dates that you already know about.
3. Keep a pen inside the spiral binding or tied to a ribbon on the inside if it’s a paper calendar.
4. Keep it with you: remember to pack it when you pack your bags for the next day, take it out in every class and during homework time to review it even before you start with homework.
5. Make the planner a part of your daily routine: the more you use it, the easier it will become to remember to use it.
6. Don’t think you will remember important dates: there is usually a lot going on and you might forget something.
7. Fill in your assignments and other due dates as soon as you get them.
8. Learn to use backward planning: you can manage your time to make sure you are not overloaded by working from a due date backwards noting smaller goals like “do research, first draft, ask friend to review, final draft” etc. Plan to have any assignments or studying done 1-2 days before the due date in order to give yourself a buffer if anything unexpected happens.
9. Use a color-coding system. This can be for different subjects or different types of tasks, whatever works for you.
10. Don't throw away old or used pages, it’s sometimes necessary to look back to. You can throw them out when a new school year starts.
11. Check in with your family once a week and note things in their calendar that might affect you, for example, if you are attending your little sisters prize giving on Tuesday evening you have to be done studying for Wednesday’s class test by Monday.
You might want to read more about how to spring clean your school bag.
