My Day Planner system is rather simple, but I find it has worked well for me throughout High School and University
The key to this system is have both an agenda (Online or Physical) and a physical Journal/Notebook
The first thing I do is write down any big due dates, exams, presentation, events, whatever in my day planner. I have a physical, Kate Spade Day Planner that I love! I split each day into two sections, Whats Happening and Whats Due. Under whats happening I have the classes I must attend that day (and the times) as well as any events I planned to attend. Under the Whats due section, I have a list of any school assignments, tests and presentations due that day.
I know a lot of people keep their day planners completed WAY ahead of time, I do mine a week at a time, so I always have the current week, and the following week filled out. On Sundays I fill in the next week. That way I have an idea of anything due up to two weeks ahead of time. (Of course for larger exams or events I write them in the month planner section of the day planner, but generally I stick to two weeks because it helps me with prioritizing)
Secondly, every evening I write in my journal, what I need to get done for the next day. Any assignments due I copy into my journal, and I write down my To-Do list and events. This is my daily - bring around - way to keep track of what I need to be doing. It helps keep me focused on what I need to be doing in THAT day, so I don’t get sucked into a vortex of trying to figure out what I should be doing all week. It also gives me more flexibility which is good, because things rarely go as planned. During the day I can go through and check off what I have done and I know what I need to do. I also can write down any due dates I find out about, any additional assignments, thoughts I have, quotes I like really anything. Its a nice free space to write down anything you need to remember, so you can transfer it to your day planner later, or just anything you want to get off your mind.
And its that simple! I find that most of my lack of motivation is really just lack of a plan, so having a to-do list is super important to me, and i find this is the best way to mix my to-do list with my day planner! As always, do whatever works best for you, however I find this 2 system method works well for me! Also it keeps my day planner neater, cleaner, and overall just easier to read. It helps me prioritize what needs to be done daily, rather than trying to stick to a rigid scheduled throughout the week and ultimately failing because I didn’t time-manage well enough (It happens). I find its good to have an immediate to do list, so I don’t have to be thinking about whats due next, I can just see it and do it.
I don’t know if this was helpful for anyone, but if you are thinking of you need a new system for your day planner/to-do list, please feel free to message me!
I went to a self directed high school so time management is something I really enjoy and I would be happy to help you create a system that works best for you, even if its the complete opposite of mine! (I’ve tried lots of other systems too)
Have a wonderful Sunday, I hope your week is amazingly productive!