Have you ever gone into a stationary store and seen planners for sale? Have you noticed the prices? They are quite pricey, in my opinion. Many times before I saw the prices and wondered why they were so expensive. Before I began college, I never had used a planner and said that I was not going to pay over $20 for a planner. Well, that changed when I started to have a busy life. I saw that I wasn’t able to manage my time wisely, and decided to invest in a planner. The first planner I bought was hard to use at first, but it taught me how to manage my time wisely.

Many people are afraid and intimidated to use a planner. Once you get to college and are taking many classes in one semester, your planner can be your best friend. Planners can be used for many reasons: to track your exercise routine, track what you eat, school work, and even the errands you need to run. When you purchase a planner you have to know how to use it in an effective way. Don’t just buy a planner and use it for the first week of classes and forget about it. It’s good to be consistent, because after that it becomes a habit, and then when you don’t have it you miss it. In the following paragraphs I’ll explain how I use my planner and how it has helped me for the better.

For me, using a planner keeps me organized. When purchasing a planner I buy the monthly and weekly one. The monthly section I use to write down the big events that I have going on, such as meetings, exams, due dates, and work. Having this set up helps me know what is ahead of me for that month and plan in advance any special events. In the weekly section, I write down what I’ll do day by day. In this section is where I write what exam I’ll study for, what homework I’ll do on that date, and small details to shape up my week. This helps me with time management on a daily basis. Every Sunday I take some time to fill in my planner for the week, and it allows me to mentally prepare myself for what I have to do for the week.

Color coding your planner based on your classes really helps. It may seem very time consuming and tedious, but it is worth it. Many times you have exams and quizzes but sometimes you might forget for what class it is. When your planner is color coded, 1. It’s more pleasant to look at and 2. It looks more organized. This may take more time and effort, but it all goes toward the same cause.

Planners are not just for writing down your to-do list. When you use it daily, it makes you feel organized and accomplished. Every day you cross out is one less day that you need to stress about. If one day you couldn’t complete something you had written down for that day, then move it to the next. When you first start using a planner you don’t understand how important it becomes. My planner for me is my life. I have everything that I need to do there. If I don’t have a task or an assignment in my planner, it won’t get done. I’ve become so accustomed to opening my planner and do exactly what’s written, and if something is missing or forgotten I feel lost.

Planners might be expensive, but they are useful. In college you might be busy with no time to fill in a planner, but try it out. See how productive and efficient your week is, and then your month. Time management is very important in college. Using a planner has helped me build better time management skills, and it can help you too. My methods might not work for you, but try your own method. Always do what helps you and is going to help you improve, and help you do better. Purchasing that planner helped me, and until this day I still use my planner daily.