Creating a standard weekly schedule and laying it out planner-style is a great way to create a baseline view of your week. You can then use it as a reference point from which each week evolves. The busier you are, the more, this habit can help you:

• achieve your short & long term goals
• stay on top of your obligations & responsibilities
• plan ahead & never miss a deadline
• reduce procrastination
• stay motivated & avoid getting discouraged or overwhelmed

Start by downloading our schedule template at b12my.co/weeklyPDF . (Or use another weekly scheduling tool.)

First, make a separate list of all the things you’ll need to do in a regular week. Here are some examples:

• classes
• studying
• work
• exercise
• grocery shopping and meal prep
• practicing your favorite hobby
• catching up with friends and family

Next, assign each an importance—on a 1-5 scale, drawing stars, color-coded highlighting, or whatever works for you.

Tip: some of the most important things in our lives can be “important but not urgent”—that is, we need to get to them, but we never really need to get to them right away … and then they fall off the radar. These can be especially important to put on your schedule!

Now, you’ll fill in your weekly schedule template.

Start with the most non-negotiable commitments—things that are most important and need to happen at specific times, like class meetings.

Continue through your list, adding things that are relatively important and relatively schedule-bound, and then things that are less crucial and more flexible to schedule.

It’s okay to leave spaces open or assign a few possible activities to one time frame, letting yourself choose one of them when you get there.

When you’re finished, you should have a quick visual impression of what a typical week will look like.

Remember, what you’ve created is a default schedule. It’s ultimately a reference for you.

At least one thing will probably change each week—in ways you can control or ways you can’t. Your job is to balance sticking to it and being flexible.

This is your schedule and your system. There’s no right or wrong way to do it, so long as it works and makes your life easier and more balanced!