Planning your way to a healthier semester

Okay: so you didn’t do too hot last semester. Maybe you spent a lot of time cramming at the library up to the very last second before every test, or writing papers, printing them off and handing them in with no editing. You might have done okay grade-wise, perhaps even earned straight As. But what if there was a better way? What if you didn’t have to stress for 15 weeks straight over every little thing, feeling like your entire life is a series of last-minute study sessions and nearly (or actually) forgotten assignments?

The good news? There actually is a better way. The better news? There’s so many different ways that you can kick this bad procrastination habit while still managing a healthy social life and a sleep schedule fit for a king.

Just kidding, everyone knows college kids don’t sleep. What I’m not kidding about, though, is the multitude of ways in which you can have a healthier, more balanced semester without sacrificing much, if anything at all. It takes a little work at the beginning to set up a successful planning system, but the payoff is huge, I promise.

You might have been given the planner talk in middle school and if it just never quite stuck, allow me to dispel your fears (and/or shame): it is perfectly okay to not use a planner. In fact, it’s perfectly okay to not use any of the methods presented here. If you have a method that doesn’t quite serve you as well as it could, or no method at all, feel free to cobble together, tear apart and remix everything here and in the wider world of planning. Being prepared is wholly personal, and the only thing that matters is if it works or not, no matter how weird or convoluted it may be to an outsider.

Now that we’ve given that disclaimer, let’s start with the basics. A good planning scheme is one that isn’t stressful to maintain, fits into your life with as little rearranging as possible, and, most importantly, is helpful for the long-term.

Here’s what you’ll need for the following: a phone or computer, a notebook (I like dot paper, but you can use anything), some pens (colorful, special pens make everything feel fun, but your trusty, slightly-chewed Bic is nothing to sneeze at) and all your syllabi from the semester, plus your work schedule and some ideas about other obligations you have (or might have).

The first thing you need to do is put on music or a fun podcast. I spend at least an hour, sometimes closer to two depending on the course-load, on this process, and it is unsurprisingly humdrum without it. I’ve been jamming on Watsky’s new album “COMPLAINT” alternating with episodes of “The Adventure Zone” as I do my own semester planning, but anything works as long as you enjoy it enough to work to it.

Next: take those syllabi. Highlight exam dates, paper and project deadlines, and anything else academically-major that you absolutely cannot miss. Open up the website mystudylife.com (or download their app, which will also give you push notifications for class times, assignment deadlines and exam warnings) and make an account. Once that’s done, click on “schedule” and then “manage subjects,” and insert your schedule. Make an academic year if you feel like it, but it’s not wholly necessary.

Once you have all your classes in there, select “exams” and insert those dates you highlighted. Next, enter in all your assignments, readings, etc. from every class. This part is the most tedious of the entire process, so if you’d rather do it one month at a time, that works too. I suggest doing this process at least a couple weeks at a time so you have two weeks heads-up for any assignment, but live wildly and do it every two days if you want.

Now you have a day-by-day look at all your assignments for the entire semester. If you go back to the dashboard, it’ll tell you what tasks you have upcoming, exams happening soon, and how many classes you have each day. You have the option of inserting holidays into the calendar so that those days will stay blank as well.

Next: Open up Google calendar on your computer or download the app. I use the mobile app so that I can also enter in any meetings, work schedule changes or reminders to myself and have it with me always, otherwise I would use the calendar My Study Life provides. If you’re good with just having that and not going ham like we’re about to, skip this next step.

Now, enter your class schedule, and then your work schedule. After that’s done (and color-coded, if you’re anything like me), decide how much time you need per week to get all the work done for each individual class. Carnegie Units (what we use at MSU) suggest three hours of studying for every one credit the class is worth, so a three-credit class would suggest nine hours of outside studying. It’s never that simple though, so really think about what you’ll need. Write those numbers down.

Schedule them in, taking this time to also schedule in breaks (yes, I’m serious. Give yourself at least 15 minutes between subjects), meals and free time. If you have a Tuesday/Thursday class, maybe you want to use two hours on Monday and Wednesday, and save the other seven for the weekend. Whatever you want to do, schedule them in, and not just as “study time,” but label them by the class. Now, just to be safe, enter an extra hour per week, per class for free studying, in case you have weeks where you’re doing more than usual.

Oftentimes, you won’t follow this study schedule. I don’t. But when it gets down to the wire, and you’re so exhausted you barely remember what classes you’re enrolled in, it helps prevent ignoring everything because you’re not sure where to start. It’s a good, solid point of reference for later on that you’ll want when the going gets rough, even if it looks daunting now.

That’s it for the digital side, for the most part. You’ll need to edit these as you receive more assignments, deadlines change or you find you need more study time in a class than you thought you might.