Tips for using this lesson: You'll notice that this lesson includes things to read, links to PDFs, images, and documents, and links to videos or Pinterest boards. There are many different ways to learn the information.

- If you learn best by reading, stay on this page to get all the information you need.

- If you learn best by listening to people teach, use the video links under each heading. These are labeled right under the topic heading as "Video Lesson."

- If you learn best by seeing examples, make sure to check out the Templates and Examples and Pinterest Boards.

Importance of Time Management and Organizing Your Schedule

Time management is one of the leading reasons students seek academic support from the Center of Academic Success. It’s no secret that high schools don’t do a great job preparing students to organize and plan for all the demands of college. It seems like it should be easy to transition from 8+ hours/day of class in high school to an average of 15 hours/week in college... But the responsibility of living on campus, participating on a sports team, commuting to campus, working a job, and regulating assignment completion makes this challenging. Students have often expressed that the more free/flexible time they have, the harder it is to schedule all of these obligations.

Now that courses have moved online there is even more ‘empty space’ in our schedules to fill. In other words, there are more choices we have to make about when to fulfill our responsibilities. In psychology, this is known as the tyranny of choice: the more choices we have, the more misery we feel (and the less likely we are to even make a decision).

What Needs Organizing?

In order to keep track of schoolwork, more than just your schedule ought to be organized. Here’s a list of things to organize:

Time
- Calendar
- Semester schedule
- Assignment calendar
- Weekly schedule
- Daily/weekly to-do lists
Class materials
- Textbooks
- Syllabus
- Handouts
- Notes
- PowerPoints
- Online Lectures/Videos
Work space
- Physical space to complete schoolwork
- Binders
- Notebooks
- Planner
Computer files
- Class materials and downloads
- Emails
- Canvas materials
- Zoom/online lecture calendar

Included in This Lesson

The emphasis of this learning module is on organizing your time, including assignment tracking, weekly schedules, to-do lists, and creative ways to organize. Please visit our other modules on this Canvas course for help with other ways to keep on top of your schoolwork.

1. Assignment Tracking

Video Lesson on Assignment TrackingAssignment Tracking

It is hard to keep track of assignments and deadlines if they are all recorded in different places. If you chose to flip through each class syllabus every week to see what is due: you are more likely to miss important deadlines, it’s going to take you longer to get started, and you will be less likely to get a head start on lengthy assignments in advance. A great way to minimize all of these outcomes is to create an assignment calendar.

Method:

Use a physical calendar, a planner, a word document, or a spreadsheet that contains all of the remaining dates of the semester.
For each class, write down the remaining deadlines for the semester (assignments, discussion dates, projects, exams, quizzes, etc.). Bonus: choose a different color ink/font for each class.

Examples and Templates:

Use the sample template “Semester at a Glance, Spring 2020” for a head start.
See the “Example Assignment Calendar” for an example.

2. To-Do Lists

Video Lesson On To-Do Lists

To-Do Lists

The key to keeping track of all of your assignments is to make a good to-do list. To make sure you are completing everything, check your assignment tracker and make a list of all the tasks that need to get done within a specific time frame.

Method:

Use your assignment calendar (or wherever you keep track of deadlines) to create a to-do list. This list can be for the morning/afternoon/evening, day, or the week.
Now you will prioritize this list. For each task, consider two things: urgency and importance.
1. How urgent is this task? Is it due tonight (very urgent) or next week (not as urgent)?
2. How important is this task? Are you studying for a big exam (very important) or completing an extra credit opportunity (not as important).
Keep track of the priority of each item.
1. Very urgent, very important tasks come first.
2. Very urgent, not as important tasks OR Not as urgent, very important tasks come next.
3. Not very urgent, not very important tasks come last.
Reorganize your to-do list. Write them down in the order you will complete them.

Templates and Examples:

Another way to prioritize: “Must Do Should Do Could Do”
Template for mapping out urgency vs. importance: “Quadrant Template”
Example of mapping out urgency vs. importance: “Quadrant Example”
Printable to-do list, in order of priority: “Prioritized To-Do List”
Template weekly to-do list: “Weekday To Do Lists”

3. Putting it All Together: Weekly Schedules

Video Lesson on Weekly SchedulesWeekly Schedules

Weekly schedules can help you to keep on top of deadlines, stay motivated to complete daily tasks, and reduce your stress about when you’re going to get everything done.

Method:

Use a sheet of paper, a spreadsheet, or a word document. Create a list or schedule-style layout for each day of the upcoming week.
Write in all of your daily obligations, including when you’ll “tune-in” to class lectures or watch the recordings, any mandatory meetings, work shifts, etc… In other words, fill in anything that must be done at a certain time. You might also choose to write in times you wake up, eat meals, take showers, do chores, exercise, meditate, go to sleep... you can make this as simple or detailed as you want.
Now make a list of all the assignments that need to get done this week. Make sure you look ahead to see if you should get started on any assignments due during future weeks.
Take that list of assignments and tasks that must be completed during the week, and identify the specific times within your schedule that you will get them done. Write them in – you can physically write them if you’re using a sheet of paper, or type them in a digital version.

Templates and Examples:

Excel Spreadsheet Version: “Spreadsheet Weekly Schedule Template”
Google Sheets Version: "Sheets Weekly Schedule Template"
Word Document with Alfred Class Blocks: “Weekly Schedule Alfred Class Block Schedule”
Word Document with Half Hour Blocks: “Weekly Schedule by Half Hour 1”

Want more examples of weekly schedules? Check out my Pinterest Board with Weekly Schedule Ideas.

4. Creative Ways to Organize

Video Lesson on Bullet Journaling for StudentsBullet Journaling

Organizing your assignments is a simple way to reduce stress. For one, straightfoward example, you simply aren't worried about when you'll get everything done because you've already scheduled time. One lesser known way that organizing can reduce stress include using it as an opportunity for creativity and reflection. Online printable planning pages, designing your own planners (as in Bullet Journaling), or incorporating mindfulness into your organization routine are great ways to tend to your mental wellness. Here are some ideas to get your creativity and mindfulness flowing.

Templates and Examples:

Use printable planning pages. You can search online to find your own! Here’s some printable planning inspiration I found.
Check out the “You’ve Got This Planning Page” PDF attachment for an example. This planning page leaves room for a prioritized to-do list, a clock to color in your daily schedule, a list of appointments, a meal and water intake tracker, a health and fitness block, space for notes and doodles, and space to reflect on what you’re grateful for/what you accomplished during a given day. You might print out this page and fill it out every day, or use it to inspire yourself to make your own daily organizational tool.
Use “Daily_Planner_with_Tomorrow” for a simpler daily planner. There is room to write in your schedule & daily tasks, notes, and upcoming obligations for the next day.
Start a Bullet Journal. A Bullet Journal is a planning system that helps you “track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future.” You can create a Bullet Journal from any notebook. In a traditional Bullet Journal, there is a very particular method for planning. You can read more about the traditional bullet journaling model at the link. However, many people enjoy creating their own systems of organization, using only some pieces of the traditional approach. Most people who Bullet Journal tend to do it because it’s a flexible system that lets them work the way that they work (something that store-bought planners don’t allow for). Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Use any notebook or pile of papers. It’s okay if you don’t have a fancy, dotted notebook. A composition notebook or stack of papers stapled together will work just fine.
- Usually, a successful Bullet Journal ought to include your weekly schedule along with deadlines, to-do lists, and some sort of way to track progress. Some people track their moods, meals, exercise, or grades, while others only include a planner. Some people like to journal and reflect in their Bullet Journal every day, and others just use it to keep organized.
- Apply all of the organizational skills you learned above! Make sure you include your weekly routine and deadlines. Add in your daily to-do lists, using any bullet system that works for you. You can use bullets, dashes, numbers, letters, symbols, or check-boxes to list daily tasks.
- Get creative! Some people use just black pen to write in their Bullet Journal, and don’t add any illustrations. This doesn’t mean you can’t be creative! Try out different layouts for organizing your week (e.g., you might choose to put the days of the weeks in rows, columns, boxes, one-per-page, etc…). Other people like to use colored pens, pencils, markers, crayons, or even watercolor. Many people add in pages for meaningful quotes, drawings, taped in pictures from magazines, or selfies- these are also great creative options.

The best way to understand what it means to bullet journal is to look at examples. Check out this Pinterest board I compiled with a variety of different Bullet Journal methods.