Collegiate Times

Planners and calendars are a necessary part of college life.  Some prefer to keep up with class and work schedules on their computer or phone, but I like to have a written copy.  This is why my planner is very valuable to me.  I want to share with you how to make your very own personalized planner for the upcoming school year.   Determine what you need in a planner.  Do you need a monthly, weekly or daily calendar?  Do you need the days to be divided by morning, noon or night or by hour?  Once you determine this, you are ready to get started.

What you’ll need:  

Binder

Printable templates

Scrapbook paper

Tabs

Fabric

Hot glue gun

Hole punch

Measuring tape

Directions:

1. Visit a planner template site like diyplanner.com for page templates.  If none of those are to your liking, you can make your own templates in Adobe inDesign, Microsoft Word or other similar programs.  Then, print out your pages.  

2.  Divide your planner so it is easy to find the day you are looking for.  I chose to divide my planner into months.  Use tabs to help divide and organize your planner.  I purchased my tabs at a local craft store and printed on them in colorful pens.  I placed these tabs on pieces of scrapbook paper to divide each month of my planner.

3.  Decorate the outside of your three-ring binder with scrap fabric.  Measure your binder, cut the fabric and hot glue it to the outside.  

4.  I chose to add note pages at the end of every month’s section with inspirational quotes and encouraging ideas.  You can do this, or add any other pages as well.  

5.  Punch holes into the divider, calendar and note pages and organize them in the binder.

6.  Start adding important dates to your planner and enjoy!  

A version of this article appeared in the Aug 11 issue of the Collegiate Times.