Monday: Notes, notes, and more notes are due. Tuesday: Soccer practice and three tests. High schoolers carry a lot of stress on a daily basis, not to mention finals coming up. Creating an efficient way to keep track of all that work will help alleviate that built-up stress.

Writing plans down will help you remember everything that is going on and give you something to reference on a daily basis. There are many different systematic ways to do this. 

Smartphones can be a blessing or a curse. Even though smartphones are sometimes a distraction, there are free apps that can help keep track of homework and extracurricular activities so you don’t have to. The best part about these digital planners and that they are easily accessible and portable. 

Creating a To-Do list for each day will give you guidance on everything that needs to be accomplished during that day. This can be done electronically or on paper. That math homework due last week that you forgot to do won’t be forgotten about anymore. 

Along with creating a To-Do list, a Future Plans list can also be created to keep track of the test that’s in three weeks or what’s due Friday. This gives you the opportunity to see all upcoming plans and assignments, and organizes beyond the scope of the To-Do list.

Creating a color coded calendar, either digital or on paper, allows you to easily organize your plans and group similar events together. This is a great way to organize the upcoming  National Honor Society meetings or your work schedule. 

Emma Osborn, a junior at Erie High School is involved in Cross Country, Swim, Track, Soccer, and Rotary Club all while managing her good grades! Osborn explained that “the planner I use saves me. I add everything going onto the calendar giving me the idea of what’s happening that week so I am able to manage my time well.”

As many have heard before, planners are also a great option. They keep everything in order and can be organized either by week or month, and come in all shapes and sizes. There is also plenty of room to write down plans and make notes. 

If physically writing or typing things down isn’t your forte, there are other options. Simply speaking aloud the next task you need to accomplish increases your remembrance of that task. Visualizing a task in your mind is another way to create a mental list to help stay on task. 

Stress is a part of high school. Creating a list will give you less “I forgot” and more confidence! Creating a way to keep track of work can be difficult and frustrating, but once there is a system that works for you it is all about sticking with it even when there are a million things to do.