It’s Thursday afternoon, and your child arrives home for you to discover that they have a research paper that is due tomorrow, and they have not yet started it, or your child suddenly realizes that they have both soccer practice and a friend’s birthday party scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and now they need to figure out how to let someone down.
If these stressful situations sound familiar, then effectively maintaining a paper student planner is a necessity, and that is why this month’s study tips are:
→ Write down assignments into your student planner daily
→ Schedule a weekly time to review your upcoming activities
The science behind using a student planner:
- Planners allow students to keep their essential information in one place. Research from Princeton shows that limiting informational clutter increases focus and decreases stress.
- Writing out notes and assignments by hand increases information retention, so using a paper planner is more effective than relying on digital resources.
- Filling your planner with motivational quotes, drawings, and affirmations can serve as a source of motivation.
3 ways Maintaining a Student Planner increases college readiness:
- Academic planners allow students to take ownership of deadlines and assignments without needing parents and teachers present to hold them accountable.
- Students build project planning skills before college professors assign semester long projects that lack intermediate deadlines. Research indicates that 80 to 95 percent of college students procrastinate on their coursework.
- Students can enjoy the day-to-day collegiate experience without the knowledge that stressful cram sessions are looming in their futures.
Take it to the next level!
- Add and highlight any permanent upcoming due dates from your syllabi.
- Always keep your planner open as a visual reminder of upcoming tasks.
- Proudly cross out any completed assignments or met deadlines.
Remember, developing great habits takes consistent practice so keep at it!
