In high school, I didn’t value an agenda as much as I should’ve, like most of us in the past. However, I’ve found that using a planner is actually incredibly helpful and a great way to keep track of your work! I used a planner in the fall and it helped me survive my first semester in college. I truly believe that I would’ve been overwhelmed and missing several assignments if it weren’t for my planner.

To test my own theory, I tried to go a week without touching my planner and it was quite an experience. I quickly noticed myself losing track of deadlines and supplies needed for each class because I didn’t have it written down anywhere. I’m all about making my life easier and more manageable, to whatever extent it may take. Restricting myself not to use my primary form of organization for school was a challenge. Life is difficult, but even harder when you don’t keep track of events or assignments. Attempting to remember several assignments from four or five classes isn’t realistic in college. Thinking you’re going to be able to manage without any form of recording information in an important place is just not sustainable.

Transitioning from high school to college is difficult, from making new friends, to adjusting to a new schedule, and getting used to having more assignments. There’s no way anyone could remember every single detail of their new life without writing it down. Techniques such as setting reminders on your phone or keeping track in a notes app aren’t as effective as writing things down with a pen and paper. I have been a victim to using my phone as my primary source of organization, and it has proved to be very difficult! In order to be reminded of events through your phone, you need to set a time, day, priority level – things that are unnecessary.

Efficiency is important for organization and the best way to do that is to follow the traditional route of using a planner. I wish I could go back to high school and force myself to utilize my agenda because it probably would’ve helped me tremendously. Since time traveling doesn’t exist, I’m pushing myself to get into the habit of recording important information down and encouraging others to do so as well. With a planner, it comes with a calendar and dated daily sections to write information down. It is a fantastic way to organize and stay on track with all events and assignments that may be occurring in your life. At first, it was a big adjustment remembering to write everything down in my planner. Looking back at it, I can see that September – December had significantly less information than January – May in my planner. College is challenging but doesn’t have to be chaotic if you organize your work. Using a planner could reduce stress and make organization easier. In my opinion, a planner is the easiest form of organization to use, especially if you’re new to college life. They’re fairly inexpensive too! Normally it’s about $8.99 for a planner that lasts a year, which is awesome. It baffles me that more students don’t use a planner even though they’re remarkably inexpensive. It’s a great investment for your education that holds much more value than the ticket price. Simple investments can have lasting effects; in this case, that simple investment is purchasing a physical planner.

I genuinely want to help others and make their lives easier, more specifically help college students. I cannot stress enough how valuable a planner is and how much it will help you with organization and making life easier. Something as simple as a planner can leave a lasting impression – whether that means that your grades are higher or you have better organizational skills – there will be a difference. As I said before, transitioning from high school to college is stressful and you need something to keep track of due dates and events. Not investing in a planner could possibly mean risking your success in furthering your education, grade-wise. You could forget assignments such as homework, projects, or presentations. Having a planner means having a fast and convenient way of seeing a physical calendar and list of all assignments and events that you’ve added in. Another perk is that you prevent double-booking your plans or days for working on schoolwork or relaxing. Ultimately, don’t make college harder than it has to be -be wise and use a planner!