by Todd Pheifer

Created on: December 07, 2007

It may sound counterintuitive, but the best reason to use a day planner in college is because of free time. The free time must be managed, and what dooms the college student is the misuse of gaps between classes, jobs, and events. Some challenges in college are simply due to the academic difficulty of coursework. Other difficulties experienced by college students are not necessarily due to their lack of ability, but rather their propensity to be distracted. In other words, procrastination will kill off the college student faster than a lack of intellectual capacity.

One of the first things that a traditional-age college student notices when they get their class schedule is that they are no longer going to class from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM like they did in high school. They may have one or two classes scattered throughout the day, or they may even have days where they have no class. For many, their first reaction is, "Wow, look at all my free time!". Unfortunately, these are famous last words. Soon the college student is immersed in their campus culture and many believe they can put forth the same academic effort that they did in high school. They assume that there will be ample time to complete assignments and that they will receive enough reminders before their tasks come due. Unfortunately, some students learn the hard way the college can be very different than high school. The rigor is often increased, some faculty do less "hand-holding" of the students, and the time that once seemed so plentiful can quickly dissipate into a cloud of pizza, parties, and lack of sleep.

This brings us back to the day planner and it's value to the college student. A day planner can be a valuable tool because it allows the student to plan ahead, lay out tasks, and give themselves time to adjust. The first value is tracking scheduled events, including class, work, and campus activities. By using a planner, the student can avoid double-booking and overcommitment as they work through each term. The more valuable use of a planner is the scheduling of "unscheduled" time. One of the mistakes that a student makes is that they glance at assignment due dates and then forget about them, particularly if they seem "far" in the future. They might write them on a calendar, but if they don't flip to that calendar until right before it is due, they may have difficulty completing the assignment. The best thing that a student can do is use their planner to schedule time for assignments and studying.

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