In college it’s actually kind of important to know what day it is, what’s due when and exactly how long you have to procrastinate on that final project. Where do you go for all of this information? Your student planner of course. Whether yours is the school-sponsored planner or one you grabbed at Target, keeping your planner organized is the first step to keeping yourself organized.

First things first, make it identifiable. You never want to run the risk of losing your planner mid-semester. How would you remember your roommate’s birthday? Or what date you signed up to give that presentation? Making your planner stand out is essential, especially if you have the same planner as half of campus. Make yours pop by gluing a photo on top or adding stickers or doodles to the cover. If you want to add a great pop of color, use Washi tape to either border photos or simply line the planner itself. Use decorating your planner as just another excuse to get crafty. Plus the less morbid looking your planner is, the less depressing the long list of things to do inside of it is.

The next step to keep your planner organized is to make it as easy and efficient to flip through as possible. Placing laminated tabs labeled “This Week” and “Next Week” at the top of said weeks makes it incredibly quick to flip to your current list of things to do. Rather then endlessly flipping to find your place you can find it in a snap. The laminated tabs are sturdier than traditional tabs or post-its, which keeps them from wilting and easier to reuse from week to week.

Another great thing to invest in for your planner are mini post-its. Write all of your important things, like schoolwork, recitals etc. in the actual planner, but write extra goals you want to achieve for the week on the mini post-its. Things that you’d like to do, but aren’t sure if you’ll get around to like laundry, calling mom, or returning that order to Amazon. At the end of the week if you accomplish your post-it goals pulling them off of your calendar feels victorious, and if you didn’t get around to them they can be pulled off, thrown away and forgotten, almost like you never had to do them in the first place. A win-win.

Whether you use these tips or add your own flare, organizing your planner is essential in keeping yourself organized, the constant battle of a college student. Keep writing your goals and homework down in your planner, and soon enough you’ll be the student who actually has a well-prepared grocery list, pays off their bills on time and schedules a biannual visit to the dentist. What a life that would be.