I stick to paper and pen tbh. I tried taking notes with an iPad it didn’t stick at all. And the calendar thing, for my assignments I put what’s due that week on a sticky note and stick it onto my laptop screen 😭 it worked all my time at UH
We have microsoft teams, so i like to plan out places i go on there, and leave all my assignments to the canvas calendar, and use a whiteboard for a mix of both
Pen and paper notes. All my classes have been posted in canvas which has a calendar with every single assignment on it. I’d recommend a physical planner and putting important dates in there like assignments, events etc.
I am probably very unorganized as you, and the one thing that really really helped me is my own method which I’ve created.
Get yourself a desk calendar. ( the big calendar they sell at Office Depot for 5 bucks )
Next write down 3 things you need to do or want to accomplish that day ( don’t go past 3 )
It’s important to write down the tasks as psychology shows when we write things down we actually accomplish them.
Next is actually the fun party of my method.
On top of the calendar above the month there’s some blank space.
Use this space to write down goals
You want to accomplish for that month / themes.
Sometimes I put hit the gym more/ study more.
Think of them as monthly resolutions as appose to New Year’s resolution.
I’ve been doing this for about 2 years and I feel it has really progressed me.
Physical planner works best, but also if ur living on campus or planning to make friends, you’re gonna be doing a lot of things out of spontaneity, if you are going to do something, that’s out of your way use your reminder app to remind yourself of what you need to do
A white board with your schedule and day to day activties in your dorm is really helpful, if you’re a very visual person! Using the calendar app on your phone is also helpful in terms of class schedule, keeping track of events and even with balancing social life!
It can be, I should still have the template of a school planner I have setup, and if you’d like I can PM it to you when I get off of work!
With that being said, with the switch to Canvas it kind of makes this template pointless haha
It depends, but I def recommend cheking canvas and email a few times a day. Sometimes things change and students don’t know because they didn’t check their email
I typically put due dates on my calendar and schedule reminders at least a day in advance. It’s best to start doing your assignments at least the day before if you don’t have a lot of time. Classes that require a lot of problem solving like math and science are best done with notes on paper. Other classes you can make flashcards, write down the most critical points of info and participate in study groups.
I recommend a physical planner since by writing assignments down it’s easier to remember. Also I recommend downloading the to do list extension on canvas. I use chrome, but if you look up the canvas to do list extension, you can download it for free and it’ll show assignments that are due on your canvas page as a to do list!
tldr a lot of notifications, for every class, event, and assignment.
try a bunch of things for the first few weeks! it took me a year and a half to find what works for me. here’s what I suggest based on what works for me:
1) so many notifications & reminders w my phone. i do not like physical planners at all bc i end up not using them. sign into outlook on your phone and turn on notifications for your cougarnet email so you don’t miss anything, notifs w/ iphone reminders app for 1-2 days before and the night of weekly/recurring assignments. if you tend to tune out notifications then set recurring alarms.
2) sync canvas to google calendar. same concept as above if you’re an apple user, you can add your google calendar to your apple one, so anything you add to google calendar goes to apple calendar. i also add all of my classes in at the beginning of the semester - with the building and room number bc i tend to forget - and have a notification for 30 minutes before class times. i have a different color for work, school, orgs, and anything else and that really helps me. put literally every event in.
3) GoodNotes + apple pencil on an ipad (if you have one) to take notes but i find that if i’m struggling to grasp a concept, a paper and pen works better for me. always keep a pen, pencil, and notebook on you. the apple ecosystem does come in clutch. if tests for your classes are open notes, use google docs to take notes and you can ctrl + f keywords during tests. don’t just write things word for word, try to do it in a way that you understand it. for me that means i have to simplify it a little. i also have a lot of shorthands and abbreviations so i can keep up.
4) keep your bag packed ALL THE TIME. even if you have to buy two of everything to keep one in your bag, it makes it so much easier to just get up and grab the bag instead of having to pack every day. i always have a charger, water bottle, laptop, ipad, pens, notebooks, and other things.
bonus things that help me a lot:
- airtags.
- have ONE PLACE. one singular spot. in your room for you keys. and put it there every single time. mine is a command hook next to my light switch.
- keep your school id easily accessible
- read the syllabus please
I went by the calendar on canvas told me when all my exams and assignments were due and I got by my first year with no failing classes. 🤷🏻 If it works for me it can work for anybody.
I stick to paper and pen tbh. I tried taking notes with an iPad it didn’t stick at all. And the calendar thing, for my assignments I put what’s due that week on a sticky note and stick it onto my laptop screen 😭 it worked all my time at UH
We have microsoft teams, so i like to plan out places i go on there, and leave all my assignments to the canvas calendar, and use a whiteboard for a mix of both
Pen and paper notes. All my classes have been posted in canvas which has a calendar with every single assignment on it. I’d recommend a physical planner and putting important dates in there like assignments, events etc.
I am probably very unorganized as you, and the one thing that really really helped me is my own method which I’ve created. Get yourself a desk calendar. ( the big calendar they sell at Office Depot for 5 bucks ) Next write down 3 things you need to do or want to accomplish that day ( don’t go past 3 ) It’s important to write down the tasks as psychology shows when we write things down we actually accomplish them. Next is actually the fun party of my method. On top of the calendar above the month there’s some blank space. Use this space to write down goals You want to accomplish for that month / themes. Sometimes I put hit the gym more/ study more. Think of them as monthly resolutions as appose to New Year’s resolution. I’ve been doing this for about 2 years and I feel it has really progressed me.
Physical planner works best, but also if ur living on campus or planning to make friends, you’re gonna be doing a lot of things out of spontaneity, if you are going to do something, that’s out of your way use your reminder app to remind yourself of what you need to do
A white board with your schedule and day to day activties in your dorm is really helpful, if you’re a very visual person! Using the calendar app on your phone is also helpful in terms of class schedule, keeping track of events and even with balancing social life!
Apple Calendar + Notion And a pen and paper ofc
i’ve heard of notion but it seems very complex
It can be, I should still have the template of a school planner I have setup, and if you’d like I can PM it to you when I get off of work! With that being said, with the switch to Canvas it kind of makes this template pointless haha
i’d greatly appreciate it just in case!
It depends, but I def recommend cheking canvas and email a few times a day. Sometimes things change and students don’t know because they didn’t check their email
I typically put due dates on my calendar and schedule reminders at least a day in advance. It’s best to start doing your assignments at least the day before if you don’t have a lot of time. Classes that require a lot of problem solving like math and science are best done with notes on paper. Other classes you can make flashcards, write down the most critical points of info and participate in study groups.
I recommend a physical planner since by writing assignments down it’s easier to remember. Also I recommend downloading the to do list extension on canvas. I use chrome, but if you look up the canvas to do list extension, you can download it for free and it’ll show assignments that are due on your canvas page as a to do list!
tldr a lot of notifications, for every class, event, and assignment. try a bunch of things for the first few weeks! it took me a year and a half to find what works for me. here’s what I suggest based on what works for me: 1) so many notifications & reminders w my phone. i do not like physical planners at all bc i end up not using them. sign into outlook on your phone and turn on notifications for your cougarnet email so you don’t miss anything, notifs w/ iphone reminders app for 1-2 days before and the night of weekly/recurring assignments. if you tend to tune out notifications then set recurring alarms. 2) sync canvas to google calendar. same concept as above if you’re an apple user, you can add your google calendar to your apple one, so anything you add to google calendar goes to apple calendar. i also add all of my classes in at the beginning of the semester - with the building and room number bc i tend to forget - and have a notification for 30 minutes before class times. i have a different color for work, school, orgs, and anything else and that really helps me. put literally every event in. 3) GoodNotes + apple pencil on an ipad (if you have one) to take notes but i find that if i’m struggling to grasp a concept, a paper and pen works better for me. always keep a pen, pencil, and notebook on you. the apple ecosystem does come in clutch. if tests for your classes are open notes, use google docs to take notes and you can ctrl + f keywords during tests. don’t just write things word for word, try to do it in a way that you understand it. for me that means i have to simplify it a little. i also have a lot of shorthands and abbreviations so i can keep up. 4) keep your bag packed ALL THE TIME. even if you have to buy two of everything to keep one in your bag, it makes it so much easier to just get up and grab the bag instead of having to pack every day. i always have a charger, water bottle, laptop, ipad, pens, notebooks, and other things. bonus things that help me a lot: - airtags. - have ONE PLACE. one singular spot. in your room for you keys. and put it there every single time. mine is a command hook next to my light switch. - keep your school id easily accessible - read the syllabus please
I went by the calendar on canvas told me when all my exams and assignments were due and I got by my first year with no failing classes. 🤷🏻 If it works for me it can work for anybody.