Awhile back I decided I needed to get away. From work, life, you name it. So I found a place in the mountains where I would have complete solitude. No cell service, no cable, no people. This trip took some planning on my part. I had to map out the route (remember, no cell service, therefore, no GPS), time my trip so I would arrive before it got dark, buy food, gas up, pack for the weather, etc. I made a list of everything I would need ahead of time and checked each item off as I completed it. It went really well. I got some much needed writing done and spent some time working on me. I only forgot one thing. I forgot to research plants in the area and came back with a nasty case of poison oak that about drove me insane with itch.
What is my point? We have entered a new semester and with that brings new teachers, classmates, expectations, rules, etc. But first we need to evaluate how last semester went. I’m not talking about grades, that one speaks for itself. I’m talking about habits. And this takes some honest reflection. Were you the student that you wanted to be? If I were your employer and evaluated your performance, how would I rate you? How would you rate you? Did you take on too much? Did you slack more than you should have? How was your time management? Jot your answers down or type or speak them into a memo.
Next, notate what kind of student you want to be this semester. Envision yourself as that student. How would that student handle a major project? How would that student handle that difficult teacher? Classmate? Now, think about a time when you were that student. What did you do differently?
When I ask my students that question most of them tell me that they planned. They either used a planner or some other form of organization tool to put down due dates and assignments.
“A Planner??? I haven’t used a planner since middle school!”
My answer to that is no, not necessarily. Planners are a great tool, but only if they’re used. I have a co-worker who uses her religiously. Right when she arrives she takes it out and opens it up. I am not a planner girl. I recently purchased a detailed planner that had everything I needed. It is truly awesome and I excitedly filled it in as soon as it came. For about three days. Now it’s lucky if it makes it out of my bag. Written planners just don’t work for me, as much as I would love to have one to decorate and put stickers in. I know me. I would spend a bunch of money making it look fancy for the first month then the rest of the pages would be blank.
I am more of an electronic planner person. I want to be able to hit the mic on my phone and speak my tasks or dates into existence. But that’s me.
What you need to find is the system that works for you and that you will consistently use. Whether it is a fancy hand-written planner or a cool app or a simple Google calendar. Try them out, see which one sticks. You know you. If you like to be creative, decorating a planner may be the motivation you need to keep it going. Or maybe you are a phone in hand type of person. Use that by finding a cool planner app or calendar that is easy and quick.
Whatever you choose, it is only good if you use it. Try to set up a specific time daily that you’ll fill in dates and assignments. Do it for three weeks and see how it feels. If the system you’re using falls off after a couple of days, try something else. Keep trying until you find the one that works for you.
Here’s hoping for a smooth trip through this semester. Don’t forget to look for poison oak!
To your future…