People always ask me what my number one secret to success and organization is. I never knew how to answer the question because organization has always been second-nature to me. I love it. But I’ve finally come to realize that this method of my organization is what keeps me on schedule and on track and it’s my secret to success: pre-planning.
I use a Plum Paper Planner, similar to an Erin Condren layout. You can pre-plan like this with any planner or agenda that you have; this is just the one that I use.
I use post-it page flags to write down things that I have going on in future weeks. This way, if things change, I can just move them around or take them off without having to white-out, scribble out, or erase.
The pre-planning comes in the most handy with school. There is one important piece of information you need to have for pre-planning in a course. It’s vital: the syllabus. Here are the steps that I use to pre-plan using my course’s syllabus:
This is the easiest step. Find the final exam date in your syllabus, write it on a post-it flag, and stick it on that date in your planner. Boom, you’re done. Super simple, right?
Step 2: Papers and Essays
Start using this same method to mark your paper deadlines. From each deadline, start marking the days prior that you will need to outline, draft, revise, etc. This will keep you on schedule and prevent the need for an all-night paper writing session for your 8AM the next morning.
I’m an English Writing major, so the majority of my assignments are essays and papers rather than tests. However, I will occasionally have a test date, and I’m sure a lot of you do too. Mark down test dates and, just like with the papers, mark down that you need to study every day for at least a week in advance. You’ll never have to cram again.
This is the most difficult portion of pre-planning. Well, it’s not necessarily difficult, but it’s the most complicated. I plan out my reading in advance, breaking down the reading assignments into chapters by day. Usually, the syllabus tells you to have X book read by Y date. Sometimes they tell you to have X amount of chapters read by Y date, which can make things a little easier. I just break down those chapters and that reading into smaller portions to do a little bit every day. I also try and make sure my reading is scheduled almost a week ahead of its actual due date. That way, if I miss a day, I’m behind in my personal goals, but I haven’t missed the official deadline.
You’re almost done. Read through your syllabus carefully and check for any other assignments, events, cancelled classes, or presentations that you might have. For presentations, follow the same format as papers and tests. That’s the key: make sure you schedule out time to work on all of your assignments, not just when they are due.
I hope this was helpful for all of you! If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to message me. Happy planning! xx
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