Published Mar 3, 2009
JeanettePNP, MSN, RN, NP
1 Article; 1,863 Posts
What do you use to keep track of your schedule, your tests/assignments due, clinical dates, times, and locations, as well as whatever is going on in your personal life? Do you use a pocket planner? Something online or on the computer?
I'm not normally the greatest at time management and organization but I know I'll have no choice but to stay on top of things while I'm in nursing school. I need ideas for what is the best way to record stuff and keep organized.
sh1901
283 Posts
I'm a relatively tech-savvy person, but for the purposes of school, I use an old-fashioned wire-bound academic planner. It has all of my school/home life items on it. My work items are on my calendar in outlook. I just find it easier to manage everything when I actually write it down and carry it around with me.
Cilantrophobe
704 Posts
Good question! I have a 17-month time.mine planner and I LOVE it! It is spiral bound and they are sold at Borders, the new set comes out in stores in July. Plus they are really cute and have a sturdy plastic cover. I use a black clip to keep the pages I am no longer using together so I can flip directly to the current week.
Here is their site: http://www.timemine.com/
There is plenty of room for each day to write information, you can see the layout on their website.
I am a geek for this kind of stuff. You will never find a better planner for the same price, trust me.
dana7582
27 Posts
I use the full-size lifestyle planner from uncalendar.com
VenaKavaRN
120 Posts
I have a 5-week dry-erase board calendar I use. I get overwhelmed when I think of more than 5 weeks at a time, so it's really all I need to get by. I just erase the week completed, get my syllabi out and put in the necessary information on a rolling basis. It's also really easy to update for those inevitable schedule changes and additions.
Thanks for all the recommendations! I'll check these out.
polka-dot, RN
1 Article; 375 Posts
The uncalendar is the best planner I have ever used. If they ever went out of business, i would seriously buy enough to last me the rest of my life.
Kitty_Kat
8 Posts
I actually have 2 dry erase boards. One is divided into 7 days that I write upcoming due dates for the next week and the other is just a large one that I can write later "to do" lists on. It sounds kinda silly but it has served me well so far.
Lena202
59 Posts
FutureNovaRn,
Thank you for the link, those organizers are very cool indeed!
I have already ordered myself one from Borders.
quiet_one
44 Posts
I use a simple calander printed of microsoft word, and I put everything down (especially weeks when I have alot going on). I used to be able to remember everything I needed to do off the top of my head, but now that i'm in my 4th semester I think i've fried my brain...I even have to schedule sleep sometimes! I also make alot of to-do lists. I keep the calander and lists in a three ring binder and include all my important papers (syllabii, class notes, important clinical papers I can't forget, and I even keep mapquest directions to all clinical sites I haven't been to before) I keep that with me pretty much all the time. It really is all about finding out what system works best for you, several of my classmates use google calander, but I don't always have time to update stuff on a computer...so paper works best for me :)
sproeber89
94 Posts
I use my blackberry, I always have it with me and I can look at it by day, week or month. It's very handy and the thing I like is I hate when my schedule changes and I have to use white out to change it. I like having things that can be changed.
Neoma
41 Posts
This is a bit 'low-tech', but it works for me. I bought one of the desk calendars at Walmart. The big one that is supposed to sit on your desk. It was less than 3.00. It is blank so you just write in the month and dates. As soon as the we have an outline for class, I put everything on it. It's only showing a month at a time, so I'm not overwhelmed. I just tear off that month when it's done.
I used to print out a weekly calendar and put it in a binder, but I found I wasn't really utilizing it much because it was out of site. The one I'm using now works better for me because it's right there, and I can see at a glance what's due for the week or month. I've got it hanging right on my bedroom door. No chance of missing it. lol
HTHs.