By
now you’ve seen what your schedule looks like with ATYP classes and homework
factored in and had a chance to think about how to plan your time.
How’s
that going?
Some
of you may have settled in and started to get a feel for how to plan and prioritize
your routine to accomplish what you must, and some of you may still be
wondering how to get everything done. Some of you may have used the time
management system (that blank weekly calendar) that we discussed at
orientation, some of you may have tried that and decided it doesn’t work for
you, and some of you may not remember what I’m talking about.
We’re
going to expand on that discussion of time management by discussing academic
planners. We highly recommend the use of a planner (and we can send you the .pdf
of a fantastic one created by Ms. Dekker-Black), but not all students need or
want the same type of planner or even understand why they’re useful.
Why do we recommend using planners? What are the benefits?
First, studies
show us that writing things down makes them easier to remember. It also frees
up working memory. In other words, when you write things down and create good
reminders, you free up space in your brain that you can then devote to other
topics. This is called reducing your “cognitive
load.” Planners also provide you with external cues, or reminders, of things
like due dates. And external cues tend to be much more reliable than thinking I
pretty much know when this assignment should be turned in. Because pretty
much is not definite and almost guarantees that at least part of the time
you will remember incorrectly.
According
to Edutopia.com, the goals of planners are to “capture our to-do lists and
activities, schedule our actions and represent time, and remind us of future
tasks.” So when you are selecting a planner, you want to make sure you pick one
that effectively helps you to plan and prioritize. You may have been given a
planner before, used it for a week or two, decided you hated it, and never used
it again. If this planner wasn’t designed for the way you think and plan, it
was likely very frustrating. We suggest trying different planners for a week or
two until you find one that helps you with those initial goals (capture,
schedule, represent, remind).
At firstprintable.com/weekly-calendar/ you will find a wide array of free planner templates that you can choose from until you find one that works. Single page, two page, lined pages, empty boxes, spots for goals, non-academic activities, etc. There are sheets for students who are minimalists and sheets for students who like to write a lot. You can also Google free academic planner templates and plenty of options will appear. And you are not restricted to paper (although we confess that we find the physical act of writing down and crossing out to be helpful) – you can use Google calendars, MyHomework, or check out this article on other digital systems https://www.sunsama.com/blog/productivity-apps-for-students if you prefer a virtual option (some of these may cost money.
Another
important role of the planner is to help students with the difference between
DUE dates and DO dates. Especially for ATYP students, this is an incredibly
important distinction. Being able to break assignments/projects down into
smaller chunks so that they don’t try to complete everything at the last minute
is a life skill that they can carry over into high school and college and
beyond. If I put into my planner something that I can DO every day so that
when my homework is DUE I am not overwhelmed…that understanding is
priceless. (creatingpositivefutures.com/the-psychology-of-student-planners/)
You
may find in the long run that your planner morphs into something that looks
more like a to-do list. That’s fine. You may find a system that looks
absolutely nothing like anything we’ve described. That’s fine. Dr. Kelly likes
to have a weekly calendar on one side and a list of goals on the other that she
can then prioritize her tasks for the week. Also fine. You do you. But do it
every day or week until it becomes a regular habit, and don’t forget to put
some fun things into your planner so you schedule time to relax and be a kid.
Ms. Nan
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