We all have the same ambition in mind at the beginning of every school year.

We go and buy a cute planner with all kinds of decorative designs that we intend to use for the school year, and we spend hours filling out each little space with every detail we can think of.

Then it hits.

It is the middle of the semester, and we find that we are not even opening our planner anymore.

I have been guilty of doing this, pretty much every year that I have been in school.

This year, I decided to take a new course of action.

At the beginning of each semester, I input each daily class as an event in my calendar on my iPhone.

I decided it would be convenient this year to include the homework assignments that are due on each specific day on the designated class “event” on my calendar.

In other words, I am using an electronic planner via my iPhone calendar.

So far, the semester has barely started, but I find that this has been easier.

I use my phone the majority of each day, and it makes sense to do all my planning on it rather than digging through my backpack to look for a planner.

I realize that some people opt to using a physical planner as they feel that physically writing down their assignments helps them to better remember what is due.

I have felt this same way before, as I have ADD, and all my life I have been a person that has to take notes for everything, in order to remember each task.

I would highly suggest that if you are a person like me who spends an incredibly ridiculous amount of time on your phone, consider using it to your advantage. Start writing your assignments and tasks on it.

I did not even waste the time buying a planner this year, because I knew it would probably sit in my backpack. 

I am really trying my hardest this year, as it is my last year in school, and I really do want to make the best of it. I have never been a very good student, and part of that stems from having ADD, but also from just pure laziness.

This year, I have to stay on top of things, because I have a future ahead of me and I have nine months until I graduate.

My biggest fear is that I mess up or something happens that could prolong my graduation date, so I really think that has been my drive to doing the best that I possibly can this year.

Do what works for you, analyze and explore the options that could better fit how you handle school and do the best that you can to stay on top of things.

Little choices like these can definitely affect your life in more ways than you think.

Andrew Paisley is a senior journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or at abpaisley@eiu.edu.