Planning for Success — Part 1: Calendars

This post originally appeared on Anna’s 1st blog, Annamotion.

Note, the calendars shown in some of the images are the old version of the calendars. The download links will give you the new updated calendars.

Calendars save lives.

No, really. Hear me out…
     1. Calendars save you time. Have you ever had to go back to Facebook, a text message, an email, a paper, etc., to re-look up the date and time for an event? Have you ever had to repeatedly look up your homework assignments in your syllabi or ask other students? Think of all the time you’ve spent searching and rereading in your lifetime. Creating a calendar might take you a bit of time up front, but it will save you time and energy in the long run.

2. Calendars save you from many mistakes. Have you ever missed an appointment or assignment because you simply forgot about it? Chances are you have if you don’t keep a calendar because our brains can only remember so much at a time. I couldn’t possibly remember everything I have going on in the week if I didn’t have a calendar.

3. Calendars save you from accidental procrastination. Have you ever forgotten you had to do something and thought “I totally could’ve worked ahead on that yesterday if I had only remembered”? Numerous times I have “accidentally procrastinated” by forgetting about a huge project that was coming up and became frustrated with myself because I would’ve worked on it earlier if I had only remembered. It also can save you from real procrastination. I know some people work better under pressure and so they purposefully wait until last minute to do their work. I have a suggestion for you: Try assigning yourself due dates for parts of a project earlier than the real due date. Work on tricking your mind into feeling the pressure of your self-assigned pre-due dates.

4. Calendars save you from disorganization. I think this one is pretty obvious. A calendar will help you organize your month, week, and day. It will help you visually see what you have planned for that month, which will also help you to more adequately plan ahead.

5. Calendars save you from a lot of unnecessary stress. Because you will be more organized, there will be more relief. Organization helps me breathe a little and feel like I have some kind of control over my life no matter what stressful situations I am in. You will also feel less stress because you will experience less accidental procrastination and mistakes. You will also have more time to devote to other things, including rest.

So you can say calendars save lives, am I right? It definitely has saved MY life from disorganization, from oodles of unnecessary stress, from accidental procrastination, from silly mistakes, and from wasted time. #CalendarsSaveLives

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Guess what! I made you some free calendars! Yayyy! This was my first time making a calendar, so as you’re trying it out, please feel free to comment here or email me if you think of anything I could do to improve it for you.

Let’s talk about the different calendars and how you can use them.

One Month Homework Calendar (Click HERE to Download)

Hey there, students! I made this calendar with YOU in mind!

Not a student? Or need another calendar for something else? You don’t have to use this colored calendar for homework. You can use it for whatever you’d like! Perhaps it could help you keep track of your daily routine, events and tasks (i.e. shopping days, workout days, work, meetings, your kids’ events). So many possibilities! Use it however you wish!

• Guess what goes in the “Month” spot? Woo! You guessed it! The month!
• I’ve left you a space labeled “Motivation” where you can write whatever piece of inspiration you so desire. Maybe some thought you want to remember. Perhaps an inspirational quote. Perhaps a Bible verse. Whatever you think will help motivate or inspire you this month. Having trouble thinking of any? Here are some to start you off:
  • “Don’t give up!”
  • “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” -Pablo Picasso
  • “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -Vidal Sassoon
  • “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” -Francis Chan
  • “It’s not about being the best; it’s about being better than you were yesterday.”
  • “You can only come to the morning through the shadows.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
  • “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” -Mark Twain

• In the new updated version I’ve taken away the date boxes so you can add the date yourself wherever you’d like.
• Next is my color code system. The left hand corner is the color key. Write a class down for each color row. You will use this to fill in your homework assignments (i.e. I put Writing for Publication in the purple slot. Anytime I have homework due, I will find the day and then find the color I assigned to it and write it down in that row).

• In the left column, you will see boxes of one color each. You can use these for additional class notes. I recommend writing the class name at the top (of course matching with your color key) and writing down big projects that are due that month, notes, and other things you might need to remember for that class for that month.
• Note how I’ve filled in my homework assignments in the appropriate rows. The space is pretty tight, especially if you have big handwriting, so I recommend using abbreviations. At least just some kind of note to remind you that you have homework due for that class. If you don’t have a class on a certain day, you could even use that other day’s class’s spot if you need to and if you won’t confuse yourself by it.
• Don’t you hate when calendars split the days at the end? I often need that space. So I’ve created this calendar with as many boxes as there could possibly be days. Feel free to use any unused boxes for additional notes or for the first few days of the next month.

• I’ve left a space at the bottom where you can write down any other notes you might possibly need for that month.
• Annnnd my site name so you can remember where you got it from 😉

Other Tips for the Homework Calendar…

• I hope you don’t have any classes on Saturday or Sunday! But I left you color spots there just in case. You could also use these spots to assign yourself work (i.e. if you have a paper due soon, write down that you want to get your references that weekend. Or if you have a book to read, write down what chapters you want to have read to help yourself stay on top of it).
• I haven’t done this yet because I already have my school supplies for this semester, but perhaps you could choose folders for your classes that go with the chosen calendar color. It will help you stay organized and you will more quickly be able to remember which color goes with what class.

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The One Month Calendar (Click HERE to Download)

I made this to be used for anything! 🙂

• I’ve provided space in the lefthand column for you to write any additional notes you may have for the corresponding week.

(If you’ve already read all the information for the previous calendar, you can skip this next part)

• Guess what goes in the “Month” spot? Woo! You guessed it! The month!
• I’ve left you a space labeled “Motivation” where you can write whatever piece of inspiration you so desire. Maybe some thought you want to remember. Perhaps an inspirational quote. Perhaps a Bible verse. Whatever you think will help motivate or inspire you this month. Having trouble thinking of any? Here are some to start you off:
  • “Don’t give up!”
  • “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone.” -Pablo Picasso
  • “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” -Vidal Sassoon
  • “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” -Francis Chan
  • “It’s not about being the best; it’s about being better than you were yesterday.”
  • “You can only come to the morning through the shadows.” -J.R.R. Tolkien
  • “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection.” -Mark Twain
• I’ve taken away the date boxes, so you can fill them in wherever you’d like.
• Don’t you hate when calendars split the days at the end? I often need that space. So I’ve created this calendar with as many boxes as there could possibly be days. Feel free to use any unused boxes for additional notes or for the first few days of the next month.
• I’ve left a space at the bottom where you can write down any other notes you might possibly need for that month.
• Annnnd my site name so you can remember where you got it from 😉

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Thanks for reading! I hope one of these calendars will help you plan, schedule, and get organized! Again, please feel free to comment here or email me if you think of any ideas that would make this calendar better for you! Remember #CalendarsSaveLives !

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