In my years of experience in grad school, I have always felt like I was standing in the middle of a soccer pitch with several footballs being thrown at me. I feel like I have to catch all of these balls like a pro, and dunk them nicely. The truth is, I find that I don't have to catch all the balls like a pro. Some I catch expertly, others, I fumble with. However, with time, I have learned how to identify the most important balls, the ones to catch first mid air, the ones to pick up later from the ground, and the ones I can allow to roll away.
I am not alone as I found out in conversation with my peers and recent graduate students. And a skill that I started to hone through grad school is learning what to prioritize, and how to prioritize. Planners have helped me with creating a to-do list, and prioritizing as I plan. In this post, I put together a list of planners for graduate students.
I hope you find at least one useful medium. Here we go!
Old fashioned, hard copy planners
These are my favorite. As much as I own, and use digital planners, my daily to-do list is still written with ink pen, on a hard paper planner. I carry this with me everywhere I go.
I have seen some detailed, artistic planners, with great attention to details. While it might be useful to have a daily to-do list on paper, the best part about using planning applications is that you can set timers, reminders, and other forms of notifications that are useful for you. Personally, I have a digital planner for the session and the semesters, and the hard copy contains just my day to day tasks and activities.
Notes app
Most mobile phones have applications for taking notes. iPhone notes app is really good with the capacity to add images, documents, and other media. iPhone keeps working to improve the notes app. The best part is that it is accessible both online and offline.
A friend introduced me to Trello when we had a paper to write together. It was the planning app he used, and he wanted me to get up-to-date on his schedule. Trello is a visually appealing planning application. While Trello is superb for personal use, it is also a great collaborative platform. The app is great tool to organize and plan tasks. you can also track edits on the app, create boards for tasks, and organize your boards as much as you'd like to.
Microsoft office packages including word and Excel
When I think of low energy, on-hand, easy-to-use, everything at a glance type of planner, Excel and Word are the first apps that come to mind. I almost always have a Microsoft word document open on my computer, and when I need to make a quick list, I just Ctrl + N, and open a new sheet for my list. I also use Microsoft Excel for quick to-do lists. The downside is that sometimes I close them without saving, and so, I am unable to track the lists. I imagine that someone intent on using Microsoft Excel or Word package as planning tools can do a better job of organizing, saving, and tracking tasks and activities. Best part, you do not need to download a new app. Just use what you already have.
Google Office suites including Sheets and Docs
Google office packages -Sheets and Docs work similar to Microsoft packages discussed above.
I found another Google gem, the Google Keep! Since almost everyone now owns a google account, you might as well maximize the Google packages available to you. With Google Keep, you can take notes, set reminders, organize your ideas, track your tasks and activities, and yes, you can share access to your notes with your colleague or teammate. As you can guess, it can be synced with other Google applications including google Calendar and your Gmail. You can also furnish your notes with pictures.
Notion is more than a planner, but can be used as a planner! there is a an ongoing rave about notion, and trust me, I get it! I am not as diligent with using Notion as much as I would really like to, but I get the best of it every time I use it! I totally recommend you checking it out if you have not already done so. That said, Notion can be a good planner f you want it to be one. It is customisable and reliable. You can access Notion across multiple device, use it to create a to-do list, make plans with friends, draft an assignment, etc. You can add emojis, photos, upload multimedia, track links, build a workflow, and many more. Basically, just check it out.
With a friendly user interface, Todoist is the app to help you stay onto of your tasks and deadlines for the semester and all year long if you so wish. Your plan can be organized as you desire, either daily, weekly, or monthly to meet your needs. The app can also be personal, or collaborative for team projects. The search function on Todoist is pretty popular too. It helps you to find things in your planner, no matter how cumbersome it gets.
Calendly is most popular for collaborative scheduling , however it is adaptable as a schedule planner for graduate students. Help others plan alongside your own plan, Calendly is your go to app. Your network can view your open/booked calendar, hence, they are better able to plan a meeting that works with your existing schedule. the best part about using Calendly is the automation framework. Basically, Calendly is great for scheduling with others. It can sync with other apps including gmail, and calendar.
With everything that goes on in grad school, it might be a task to remember assignment deadlines, especially when they are assigned at the start of the semester. Sometimes we get lucky and get reminded by the instructor maybe too close to the deadline, hence the last minute scramble to complete assignments. With the MyHomework app, managing deadlines gets better. The app can also be used to manage and track class schedules, and collaborate with colleagues. It also accepts multimedia files such as photos and screenshots to aid your planning process.
Chipper
Search for "Chipper School Planner" on App Store or Google Play.
With Chipper, cheers to a successful semester, and overall graduate student life. You can create a to-do list, set reminder for study time, and plan to your heart's content. The app also spots a progress tool that can strengthen healthy study habits.
In conclusion, planners are not only for assignments and deadlines. You can schedule outings, a day to eat out or order in, or even hangouts with friends! I wrote about planning in Graduate school - what to plan for, and how to plan for them. Access the post here.
There are tons of planners out in the universe, but I just thought to share these with you. Please let me know which one you have tried, or which one you would recommend that is not on this list.