Why I do not Own a Planner and What I Use Instead

Yes, you have read that correctly. I am a Uni student, very organized if you ask me and I do not use a planner. Why? Well, it just doesn`t work for me.

I´ve tried and bought agendas and planners and gave up after a month. I even tried bullet journaling. Still didn´t work. I just can´t do it.

So my solution is my phone and my google calendar.

I have used this method for a while now and it works perfectly with me. I write everything down in my google calendar. I mainly use it for University but other appointments.

We spend way too much time on our phones and computers so why not use it to our advantage. When I used planners and bullet journal I forgot about it, and never checked it. Because I use my phone I receive reminders and it is easier to just simply unlocked it and open the apps. Another perk is that I can connect everything to my computer, most of these type of apps have a desktop . version.

Here are some brief tips on the basic things we usually put on our planner, and how I use apps for it:

1. GOOGLE CALENDAR AND COLOR

Google Calendar is my everything. I plan all my life there and it is so easy to use. I do believe this deservers an extended blog post so I won´t be sharing too much but one thing I love about it is: color organization.

As you can see from this week, I have different colors which mean different things. Pink is for classes, red is for schedule study time, blue for group projects, yellow for oral presentations and gray for trips. I currently have a different key that you can see down below.

If you are a visual person, this is perfect for you. You can see your week and recognize that during that time you have to do what is on your calendar.

*(this is a week from last November)*

2. NOTIFICATIONS AND REMINDERS

If you have something planned, write it down on your calendar. If you do not want to forget that on that day you have to call Bill, for example, write it on the all day events. This way you can get notifications reminding you that you have that event coming.

When you set up events you can add all the notifications you need. This is a lifesaver.

3. TO DO LISTS

With not owing a planner, I do not have really a place where I write what I have to do. Usually I write it down on a piece of paper and stick it in my wall or I use google keep.

Google Keep is great because I can connect it to my calendar. This is how it looks.

*This photos are mine since I have personal things written on mine, credits to the owners*

You can create to-do lists and set reminders that will appear on your calendar. Google keep is also great for storing notes in form of pictures and sound reminders. I will dedicate a full blog post on google keep.

4. FREE AND SIMPLE

One point in favor of this method is that it is free and fairly simple to use and apply in your life. You already own a phone and downloading this apps will not cost you a penny and they do not occupy many storage. Actually most of the android devices, already have these installed.

If you are a IOS user, you can use your iphone calendar and it works just the same. Since my phone is an android and my computer IOS I prefer to use Google Apps since it is easier to connect to all these devices.

With this method, you have no reason not to write things down and forgetting. I am pretty sure you do not forget to bring your phone with you to class, so there is no excuse to write things down.

Anyway this is some of the reasons why I do not plan in paper form and some ways in which I overcompensate. I would love to hear what you use to plan your life and in the near future, expect to see some posts about google keep and google calendar, where I will go in depth explaining how to fully use it to its potencial.

Thank you for reading

Keep Studying.