Use a Calendar
Mondays:
7:45am-1pm - Work (Purple)
2-4pm - Volunteering (Orange)
7-9pm - Small group (Green)
Tuesdays:
12:30-1:45pm - Class (Red)
2-3pm - Research (Red)
3:30-4:45pm - Class (Red)
6-7pm - Club (Green)
7:30-9pm - Group (Green)
The above is an example of a Monday and Tuesday in February 2021, my last (and lightest) semester of undergrad. Everything I did went on the calendar. Anything where I was expected to be somewhere, I logged it in my iCal, syncing across all devices. It was a lifesaver. Using a calendar may seem like that extra step you don’t want to deal with, but it actually saves you time later.
Calendars free up mental space. Someone ask you to be somewhere in 2 months? There is NO way you’re just going to remember that date for the next 2 months. Why would you even try to keep that on your mind until it comes? If you take out that calendar and stick it in there now, you won’t have to worry about forgetting about it. This gives you more room for important things.
Calendars help you plan and stay organized. When we can see what we have going on for the next week, it helps us figure out when we can fit in all the little tasks. For example, if you know you are at work or school all day M-F and have evening commitments on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, you can see that you really have just Wednesday night this week to get your laundry done or get dinner with your friend. When you use a calendar, you can see when you have time to do the other little things of life.
Calendars also help you prioritize. For example, this Wednesday I have class 7-11am, 1-3pm, and a work shift 7pm-12am. That makes for a long day. I also need to study for my quiz this weekend. I might choose to do more schoolwork today (Tuesday) so that I can rest in between class and work. I’m prioritizing school work now and rest tomorrow. Seeing my calendar helps me do this.
Ready to build your calendar? You can use any app or book (just keep in mind paper agendas and some apps cost money). iCal, Google Calendar, Calendly, etc. are all examples of good apps. Most apps let you color code your activities too. You can see from my example up top that I put colors in parentheses next to the activities. I have class coded as red, work as purple, etc. This makes my calendar more fun to look at, but also helps me focus on what kind of activity I’m going to be doing. If one day is filled with the same color, I might try not to add anything else of that same subject on that day, for my own sanity. You can name your events however you like, but try to avoid long names, keep it succinct. Overall, how you format your calendar is up to you! Just try to make it a goal this week to put things on your calendar and see how it helps you prioritize, plan, and keep organized.
Challenges/Points:
Calendars can be used at any point in life but are especially useful in times where you have a lot of different things going on.
Calendars help free up mental space, allow for planning and organization, and assist in setting priorities.
If you don’t already use one, invest some time or money in getting and using a calendar this week.
Questions:
Do you usually use a calendar?
What do you find most useful about your calendar?
How can using a calendar help you this week?
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