These past couple weeks have been, I’m not sure how to put it, insane would be an understatement. It must be a secret agreement among teachers that they all must assign a million and one assignments the day we return from spring break. I guess they are just making up for lost time. With all this added stress of multiple papers and projects, I would be lost without my weekly planner. So, without further ado, here are 9 reasons that you need a planner in your life!

1. Track of deadlines and important events

I know personally that without my planner I would never know when I had a paper due or a big exam coming up. Yes, I know our professors remind us and it’s in the syllabus, but writing myself a reminder the week before the exam or paper gives me plenty of time to prepare.

2. Daily-hourly breakdowns

My planner is broken up into days. You can purchase hourly planners that break down your entire day for you by the hour. Next year I will definitely be looking into getting one of these. The hourly breakdown is super helpful for scheduling when you have classes or meetings.

3. Writing down the assignments helps you remember to do them

I know for a fact that 90% of my homework assignments would not have been completed unless I wrote them down in my planner. It becomes too hard to store every assignment in your head throughout the day. Without a planner, you may be forgetting that important project.

4. You can plan ahead

Plan on traveling? Need to head home for the weekend? Check your planner to make sure you're available and then schedule that well-deserved break!

5. Positive affirmations or daily gratitude

My planner has a section at the bottom where each week I can jot down some positive affirmations to help myself get through the week. I’m going to be honest, I don’t always use this part, but I have found that when I do, it really does make a difference in my attitude.

6. Extra to-dos

My planner has lines with check-boxes on them. This is super helpful for letting yourself know when you’ve completed something and the feeling of checking the boxes is oh-so-satisfying!

7. The quote of the week

Along with daily gratitudes, my planner also has a famous quote at the bottom of the page. As a writer, I love reading these quotes! They fuel my passion every day!

8. You can customize it

Don’t want to buy a fancy planner? Make a bullet journal! You can take a blank journal and completely customize it to fit all your needs!

9. Give yourself a high-five if you like staying organized!

Being organized is so important in college! In order to succeed and not go crazy, you MUST be organized! So go out and buy a planner or make your own!

With multiple courses and tons of assignments, I don’t know how people survive without planners. This bad boy has gotten me through the past couple weeks without any mental breakdowns (even though I had one scheduled last Friday at noon) yes you read that right. I scheduled a mental breakdown because I didn’t have time outside of my workload to let out my emotions. So I planned ahead and allotted myself some free cry time. Thankfully I ended up using that time for a nap instead. So use your planners wisely and have fun with them!

*My planner was purchased at Target by the brand Day Designer