Midterm season is rapidly approaching at St. John’s University — midterm grades are due by March 18. This means that in the upcoming week, students across all majors will likely be flooded with various assignments to complete, papers to write and exams to study for.
Organization is key during this hectic time of the semester, and is extremely helpful throughout the semester as a whole. Planning your workflow in advance is especially beneficial. Having time slots dedicated to your assignments in advance helps curb procrastination and ease feelings of anxiety about your schoolwork.
There are countless ways to plan your assignments though, ranging from a traditional paper planner to detailed and personalized platforms such as Notion.
This can lead to the question: Which method of planning is most conducive to a structured study schedule?
Physical Planners
Traditional planners that allow you to take pen to paper are ideal for students who value a hands-on approach to organization and want to decrease their screentime.
There are several forms that physical planning can take. For a portable and convenient option that you can utilize during class, consider a small weekly or daily planner. You can easily slip this into your bag and jot down upcoming due dates as you hear about them in class.
If you want a more premium, aesthetic planner, the viral brand Papier has many offerings. But a simpler, more affordable planner will accomplish the same goals.
For at home planning, a wall calendar is also helpful. You can get one that features photos of a cute animal or your favorite artist to motivate you to continue using it. Whiteboard calendars are another great alternative if you would like to customize further and include additional notes.
Physical planning is especially useful because it pushes you to prioritize handwritten reminders, which boost retention, making it more likely that you’ll remember your assignments. It also limits distractions from technology.
However, physical planning might not be for you if you need more flexibility in your organizational process.
Digital Planners
Digital planning is a convenient option since technology is constantly at the tips of our fingers. It might be a smoother transition for students who already rely heavily on their devices for schoolwork.
Simple apps like Apple Calendar and Google Calendar provide features that you would find in a physical planner in a user-friendly interface. You can add events and tasks, as well as schedule reminders as they approach. There is also the option to share your calendar with others, which can help hold you accountable for deadlines.
For a more advanced planning system, the AI-based platform Notion is available. It has a learning curve, but it is much more customizable than other planning apps. You can design a setup that suits your needs best.
Digital planning can be easily integrated into the lives of students who already do much of their work online; however, it can promote distractions and can quickly become overcomplicated.
If you have an iPad or a similar tablet, you can make a custom digital planner on a note-taking app. This allows you to physically write your tasks while keeping them online.
Both analog and digital planning have pros and cons —it ultimately comes down to what works best for you, and it might be best to incorporate a mixture of the two for the best planning experience.
