It is, quite literally, impossible to function as a college student without some sort of planning device. Whether you’re a Google Calendar enthusiast, a loyal follower of the pen and paper or prefer a best-of-both-worlds approach, you’ve got to have a go-to method for staying on top of your assignments. The following list considers just about everything you could ask for from a planner, from aesthetics to convenience to a more modern, technological approach to organization:
- Google Calendar
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Let’s start with the obvious. There’s a reason everyone uses Google Calendar. Not only is it great with reminders, but the clear yet customizable interface is also perfect for both tech lovers and liberal arts majors. Plus, it’s perfect for students: school websites (such as MyUCLA) make transferring class schedules super easy. All you have to do is click a button to download your schedule and import it as an additional calendar in Google Calendar.
- Papier planners
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I love Papier. Their planners are super elegant and trendy yet very well-organized. They are perfect for those students still attached to the classic paper planner. Not only are their planners customizable, but they offer a variety of planner types, such as student and academic planners, daily planners and financial planners. This is especially convenient if you like to keep the different areas of your life organized (i.e., use Google Calendar for schedules and a paper planner for your personal schedule).
- Google keep
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Google Keep is ideal for to-do lists and simple task-keeping. I literally just discovered it this year, and it is the perfect companion to Google Calendar. For people who like to have everything saved in their taskbar, it’s ideal. With a simple checkmark system and intuitive interface, it’s super user-friendly. You can even customize your list and share it with friends!
- official academic planners
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Official academic planners are often sold at the student stores of universities. These are usually the best for freshmen or students new to university because they include special details about important school dates, holidays, finals week, athletics and more. Though they are not quite as aesthetic as Papier planners, official academic planners are perhaps the most well-tailored for your university and academic schedule.
- notion
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I’m sure you’ve seen the TikToks. And, if you haven’t seen the TikToks, you might’ve seen some uber aesthetically-pleasing online planner templates on Pinterest that were likely Notion. Notion, like Google Calendar, is an online planner option. However, it is extremely customizable, including various templates for calendars, to-do lists, the opportunity to link to documents and websites, images and more. The caveat is that things can get a little complicated, and it might be a little overwhelming to start.
- whiteboard calendars
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Whiteboard calendars are great for dorm rooms. Roommates can list their respective schedules on a collective calendar, which makes planning and collaborating as a roommate team really easy. It’s also a super fun place for community jokes and doodles.
The wonderful thing about planners is their customizability. These options are the perfect place to start, whether you want to experiment with mixing mediums or sticking to one. Personally, I’ve found that a mix of each of these works best for me. The key is curating to your lifestyle!