The school year is now in full swing and unlike years prior most post-secondary schools (at least here in Canada) have moved their classes online, which has its perks and disadvantages.

But whether you’re having in-person classes or virtual ones, one thing is vital to having an academically good year: making and keeping a schedule.

Having a schedule that has all of your classes, study times, and free time written down will help you learn to use your time wisely while at the same time help you succeed in university or college. Plus read to the end and you’ll receive a free weekly schedule!

I’ll just start this post by saying that this is a topic I’ve been wanting to write about for a long (long) time. A lot of times, I’ll feel overwhelmed with how to tackle, projects, homework, or any daily activities, and having a schedule definitely helps relieve my mind and feel less anxious.

As a student, keeping a schedule is vital to have a good grade and is a total lifesaver!

Scheduling your time is beneficial, effective and it can help with procrastination (which I’m very familiar with) and make you feel like you have more time (and control) on your hands.

*This post contains some affiliate links (marked with an *) meaning that at no extra cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through it which helps support this blog. Thank you*

How To Schedule Your Time & Still Have Fun

get a planner or use excel to make your weekly schedule.

First things first, you need a planner or at the very least a weekly schedule, something to be able to write down all your events, study time, etc.

I’ll be honest, I love planners. Before starting university I would get a planner and would never use them, but once I started university I realized how important it was to have a planner to succeed in school.

One of the things I look for in a planner is enough writing space for each day and a monthly calendar for important dates. Keep on reading to get your FREE weekly planner that will make your life so much easier!

Here are some planners I’ve used in the past and 100% recommend:

Last year, I used a Bloom Daily Planner*  (below)and loved how it had goal planning pages, a yearly vision board, monthly to-do lists and so much more! It is also quite inexpensive and the covers are gorgeous!

Two years ago, for my first year of university, I bought this ↑ beautiful vegan leather, binder-like planner *that I loved as it had little tabs for each month making it easy to flip through, and a monthly goal and birthdays page.

The only downside is that it is bulkier and more costly than the others mentioned.The planner that I’m using this year is from Belvedere* and I love it! It’s detailed, has many useful pages (such as a monthly budget, to do an exercise section), and is pretty to boot! Check it out here*!

add any classes/events or work times.

After getting your planner/weekly schedule, this is what you do next. Write down any classes, work or special events you have and block them down on your schedule.

This way you get a visualization of what your schedule will look like each week. This also helps you know that during this time you can’t double book your time.

related post: How To Ace Your First Year of University

have a study time limit.

On average a student should study about one-two hours per week for each hour of class time.

Obviously, it can be more if desired or if you have an assignment due but it is important to set a limit and be firm with yourself on that.

That means not going past your allotted time so that you won’t get overwhelmed and still have time for fun!

Which leads to the next step

schedule in some free (non-school) time.

This step is vital. School isn’t everything, yes it will prepare you for what you’ll do (or not do) in life and is important, but so is taking a break from it on a daily basis.

Let’s say you have 3 hours of study time and 2.5 hours of class time that means that after that you have the whole day to yourself!

Ideally, classes add any school-related stuff should only take about half your day (obviously depends on the number of hours), use this extra time to watch a show, read a book, or whatever you love doing. You can also use this time to plan outings with friends, events, or anything that isn’t concrete in your weekly schedule.

This is also important to being mentally healthy during the school year as it can keep you from feeling overwhelmed as you have a set scheduled time for fun!

related post: How To Stay Mentally Healthy During a Crisis (or pandemic)

Final note: remember to have fun, be flexible, and do what makes you happy.

My dearest hope is that this post was useful and helpful to you.

When I first started university I had no idea about keeping or scheduling my time and felt so lost and overwhelmed for most of my first year. But thankfully over time, I learned what works for me, what doesn’t, and that at the end of the day a breakaway for schoolwork is always needed.

Keeping a schedule helped me use my time more wisely and made me feel more prepared for upcountry assignments and finals. Plus it also reminded me to take a break and have fun!

For your FREE weekly school schedule click below to download and print! I’ve found that sometimes the simplest of planners work best.

Do you use a planner or have a schedule? Has it made a difference in your life?