{"id":942,"date":"2021-01-05T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-05T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forum.assemblewp.com\/?p=942"},"modified":"2021-10-20T23:48:30","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T23:48:30","slug":"how-to-use-a-planner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-588744-2133247.cloudwaysapps.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/05\/how-to-use-a-planner\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use a Planner"},"content":{"rendered":"
Planners can help you get good grades and reduce anxiety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At some point in graduate school, I quit using a planner. I\u2019m not sure why \u2013 it might have been because I was broke or because it seemed like more work. I ended up accidentally missing medical appointments, forgetting assignments, and generally feeling so much more stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tried to implement a planning system a few times but struggled to stick with it. I felt motivated to get the stress to stop, but I didn\u2019t feel motivated to use the systems I created. Boredom was also a barrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even at Duke, where undergraduates tend to be high achievers, my students would sometimes miss assignments and then apologize for forgetting.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Our brains are amazing. But for managing sheer data, paper is more dependable. Research on learning even suggests that we encode information differently when we write things down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have a planning program or app that works for you, then by all means – use it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But if your system is working for you, don\u2019t bother to read this article. If you\u2019re happy with your planning skills, you\u2019ll probably enjoy my other articles more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article is for people who feel stressed about their commitments, who sometimes miss deadlines, or who feel that something in their planning system is not quite right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I acknowledge that apps can work for some people, but my job on this blog is to be honest about what works for most students. If human brains absorb information better when we physically write things down, I believe we should take advantage of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even though I really support physically writing things down, if you need technology for disability reasons, that is 100% valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I like to use a planner with two major structures: a calendar page, and a tasks page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The calendar page is for things that happen at a specific time. Have soccer practice at 2 on Sundays? Write that down. You\u2019ll also want to write other scheduled events such as meetings with a professor, office hours, and doctor\u2019s appointments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Writing commitments this way can help you maintain a realistic understanding of your commitments. This can also help you make good decisions about taking on new projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using your calendar pages will also help you avoid accidentally double-booking yourself. I\u2019ve not found it possible to be in two places at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want a planner that is already set up this way, I recommend the Moleskine weekly. When you open it, there is a calendar on the left and a blank page on the right. Label the blank page as “tasks” and use it to keep your weekly to-do list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I used the Moleskine weekly during parts of my PhD and I was happy with it. This planner has great paper, too. It feels nice to write on Moleskine products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are a DIY type and you like control over your layout, or if crafting is fun for you, you can set up a blank notebook as a planner. I am particularly in love with Midori gridded notebooks, which have amazing paper. “Love” seems like a strong word for notebooks, but I have pretty strong feelings about nice stationary \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I’m currently using the Midori B6 gridded Shinsho, which is a Japanese size that’s slightly narrower than American A6 planners and notebooks. I used to use the Midori A5, which is a little bigger. I like both, but found I wasn’t really filling the space in the A5. A5 is great if you like to write a lot, though. That little clip is by Midori, and I bought it separately – it doesn’t come with the notebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In my household, we like to grocery shop on Sundays. Choosing a specific day helps us make sure we don\u2019t run out of food staples. Because I have issues with recurrent hypoglycemia, getting food on the same day each week helps me keep myself safe and healthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I believe recurrent chores should be an optional addition. If you want to be thorough, write your weekly tasks in your calendar page. If you tend to get overstimulated by too much text, then reserve your calendar pages for actual meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can also try writing scheduled meetings in one color (for example, a black pen) and chores in another color (like a pencil). I\u2019ve included some favorite pen brands below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other side of my planner is a tasks page. The tasks page is for anything you previously tried to remember to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does your car need a repair? Do you need to research a new phone? Do you need to stop by the library to get books for class? This all goes on the tasks page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some tasks are erratic \u2013 we don\u2019t necessarily need to do a specific task like calling the doctor every week. Other tasks repeat weekly. For example, blog-related tasks appear in my tasks list every week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I mentioned above, Moleskine weekly calendars are a really useful way to keep track of your weekly tasks. When you open the calendar, the left side is blank and can be used for your weekly tasks. You’ll still be able to see your calendar on the left, so you can find everything you need for the week without flipping back and forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anything on your to-do that makes you panic or dread doing it is probably too big. When I was in school, I once wrote, \u201cwrite an excellent dissertation\u201d in my tasks list (if you want to facepalm, this is the time).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWrite dissertation\u201d (especially with the emotional pressure of \u201cexcellent\u201d) should never have been on my to-do list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would have been better to start a projects list and call the dissertation a project. Appropriate related tasks might be, \u201cbrainstorm dissertation projects for 20 minutes,\u201d \u201cwrite 1 paragraph,\u201d \u201cproofread one page,\u201d or \u201cgo on the library website and find a relevant source.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can you see how much less panic is involved when you slice projects into tasks?<\/p>\n\n\n