Happy New Year, everyone! I’m sure this week is not easy for those of you who are returning to work and school. Perhaps you have another couple of weeks off, but either way I’d like to offer some reflections and tips for getting started this New Year.

Today, I want to talk about writing things down as a way to reduce cognitive load. While calendars and to-do lists often trigger a groan from many of my students at first, I’d like to offer that actually having a calendar and a to-do list offer more freedom and control. It can cut down on what we perceive as overwhelm, allow better communication with your families and help you plan so that you actually have downtime and are not stressed in your downtime about when you might get the project finished.

By the way: I also have a difficult relationship to planners, calendars and to-do lists. Writing this post is just as much a reminder for me that it can be a ritual, an act of self-love and something that I have to continually work at. Below are five common thoughts that my students have when we talk about planners and calendars.

#1: I never look at my calendar/planner.

Using a calendar/to-do list takes practice and there are a number of steps. Writing tasks in the calendar/planner is one step. If you practice only writing in your calendar (don’t worry about looking at it) for a week, then you are on your way to using a calendar!

#2: I don’t need to use a calendar/planner because I have google classroom (or canvas, or blackboard, or another online school platform).

Like all technological advances, this is both a positive and a negative! The positive: most teachers and professors post assignments and therefore you don’t have to worry about missing it  (from not writing them down in class as was the case with me when I was in school). The downside, is that most students use this as their only planner. Most of my clients only look at the assignment that’s due the next day. While it may be in their head that there is an essay or a project due the next week, because the assignment for the next day is right in front of them, that’s where the focus goes and then often times panic ensues because a project or essay was forgotten about until the night before it’s due.

#3: If it’s in my calendar and I don’t do it, then I have failed.

Argh! I know this feeling too well. Here’s the cool thing. You have control over your calendar. That means that because you are the one scheduling a task, you also have the power to reschedule the task. Ask anybody around you if they’ve ever had to reschedule something i their calendar. No, really, ask.

Life happens. Using a planner/calendar is an excellent way to one, reframe “failure” and two, practice cognitive flexibility.

Also, checking things off gives us an endorphin that makes us want to do something again! Here’s a tip: schedule something in your calendar that you already do on a regular basis and check it off! Do you wake up every day? Do you brush your teeth every day? Put it in the calendar! You already have a win!

#4: Writing a to-do list/putting things in my planner takes too much time.

When I walk in the door from a long day, my mind is racing with everything that I have to do. It feels so overwhelming that I actually just want to sit on the  couch and get lost in my phone. While I definitely spend time mindlessly looking on social media, I know that this is my nervous system’s way of running away from what I perceive as overwhelm.

Having the tasks already written in my calendar, reduces my overwhelm, and creating a ritual around writing down my priorities before I start my work allows my nervous system to steady so that I am more able to access the frontal lobe that can better help me plan what to do when.

Try this: Write down how long you want writing a to do list/putting things in your planner to take. Set a timer for that amount of time and write in your calendar/planner for the duration of the timer.

#5:I have to find the best planner in order to get started.

I love stationary and organizational tools. I would much rather spend time ogling over the prettiest or most efficient looking planner. But, the truth is: the best planner is the one that you use and while having one that we love can motivate us to use it more, most of us need to pick one and get in the routine of using it.

What’s better: Online or paper?

The best planner is the one that is being used. Which one, knowing that creating the ritual around using it will take some time, are you more likely to use?

• The advantages of it being online: most of us are on our computer anyway and you can set it up to send you notifications on your phone and computer. The downside is that many of us are distracted by our computers and may go down the rabbit hole if we are already distracted by a computer.
• The advantages of a paper planner: writing things down helps us to remember and process. We are not as distracted by our computer.
• The disadvantages are: remembering where the planner is and being more diligent about a routine in writing in it as it won’t give automatic reminders like google calendar.

What calendars do I recommend?

If using an online calendar, I always recommend Google Calendar. Many of my students’ schools use Google Classroom and there are other platforms (such as Canvas) that you can import directly into Google Calendar. It is free and it is ubiquitous.

Paper planners:

• Class tracker
• Order Out of Chaos

They are designed for the Neurodiverse brain and have a very simple layout.

• Bullet Journal

I also really like using a Bullet Journal and in some ways think it is the best for an ADHD brain, BUT you have to be extremely diligent about setting it up each day.

Lastly, a student of mine made the priority chart below (see the video to learn how to make it yourself or if you reach out to me I can send a copy of it to you). I showed it to a different student who gets overwhelmed by calendaring and he LOVED this!

Do you use a calendar or to-do list? If so, how do you use it? How often?

Show me your planner on Instragram and tag #stresslessstudent!

I hope your New Year is off to a good start!

Curious about coaching for the new semester? Schedule your complimentary Destressify Session here.

Warmly,

Sarah Weidman