Plan with Me

If you’ve met my mom, she’ll tell you I’m the worst at making decisions. That statement will begin the retelling of my childhood trip to the toy store when I would stare at the wall of stuffed animals and wonder about which one to choose. 

A similar story rings true today, 15 years later, with planners. I love making to do lists to organize my thoughts in the craziness of college. 

I’ve collected lots of tips over the years about how to be the most productive, from conquering the most important task first thing in the morning to checking off the top three priorities for the day. Today I’ll be sharing my most recent routine that has helped me stay on track. 

I started the academic year with a Target Day Designer planner. Yes, it is heavier than the average planner but every sheet provides a fresh start including a schedule, to do list, top 3 priorities, notes, and gratitude section. Last semester, I would fill in my class schedule and other obligations in the schedule section. In the “today’s top 3” section, I would write the homework that was due the following day. With the other responsibilities organized in check boxes underneath, sometimes I would fill in the time I planned to do an assignment in the schedule and estimated how long it would take. Yet, this was sometimes frustrating, because tasks are bound to take longer than expected. 

For Christmas, I received another planner as a gift from my aunt. This planner has the traditional lines in each weekly spread. Now, I use the Day Designer’s monthly spread for important upcoming projects. In the new planner, I fill in my to do list for the week. 

Next to the to do list, I’ll have a sticky note outlining my day in a list format. This helps me stay on track with what I need to do next, while lowering my anxiety about not being able to get a specific task done in a certain amount of time. 

That’s all! I hope this gave you some inspiration about getting everything done on your to do list while making time for rest. 

Love,

Rachel