Well, here’s something that comes with the basic course in Adulting: planners. They come in any unique or boring pattern under the sun, and they’re used to keep track of work, events, and other things that humans do. To put it simply, the sooner you use these things, the better you’re going to be in the long run.  

There’s nothing like saying you can’t make an event that puts a spanner in the works, especially if you’re involved with a lot of groups on campus. It’s important to keep your dates in check if you’re good at that.    

As for how I feel about planners, well, I’m slowly getting used to this concept. The keyword being slowly. While I do try to keep track of what I have to do for my adult life, I also get sidetracked quite often. In fact, when writing this article, I went from wanting to talk about commas to how you find the motivation to write to if being in a same-sex environment could affect your writing to this in a matter of thirty minutes.

Now looking at that sentence, one might think I have a learning disorder or something. But the truth is: I don’t. At least, last time I checked, I don’t. I’m just lazy at the worst of times. And besides, there’s so much to talk about, especially when it comes to writing articles such as this. But I digress.

With all that in mind, keeping track of what I need to do is a skill I would like to improve on, and I’m quite certain you would like to improve as well.

Right now, I use it to keep track of when I have work. If I write down which days I have to work for, so I won’t have conflicts and know for certain what I’ll be doing on which day. Already that sounds like a mouthful, doesn’t it? But what about how I keep track of school stuff?      

As for work I have to do for school, I mainly stick with to-do lists, which in themselves are just as practical. If I write down what writing I need to finish or start, it usually gets done in no time at all. I usually repeat the due dates over and over again in my head; very seldom do I write them down in my planner. It has gotten me in trouble once, so you might want to be careful regarding neglecting to keep track of deadlines.    

Don’t you want to make your planner less boring to look at? Invest in some pretty colors. Colorful pens, paper, post-its, and sticky odds and ends can spice up the pages. For instance, say you have a purple pen for the due dates and a green one for events or times that you work. The words can now stand out against black ink. Trust me, if you see as many DIY videos regarding journals and planners as I have, it looks really neat.   

If there is anything that can’t be tolerated right here and now, it’s lateness. If something is turned in late, it’s immediately implied that you don’t care about the subject in question, and that, in turn, can make professors feel insulted. Heck, many people were outraged when the president took two days to condemn Nazis. It seems so simple to say that neo-Nazis and the KKK are evil and gravely injure America’s image (and I realize that’s just putting it lightly), but through that delayed response, it sends a clear message: “I don’t care.”   

Don’t be like the president. I can’t stress that enough. Instead, use the planner. It will save you a lot of issues.