Planners: Forecasts
So I have what I call forecasts which are basically my 48 hrs outlook on what I need to do. These come in handy as things start to get hectic or I have a lot that's due in a short amount of time. Depending on what kind of schedule I have, I have three different formats of these forecasts. The first is directly in my planner. This comes in handy if I already have a good grasp on what I need to do and about how long each thing is going to take. If my assignments are all weekly ones that I can easily plan for I just block out the time I'll be devoting to accomplishing them and then put the todo list for that block directly within it.
Another format I like to use is for when I'm in a rush and I only have my notebook with me. For this, I follow the basic todo list style except after the task, I put the time slot for each task. This allows me to estimate how much I can actually accomplish and also gives me a chance to order them in the most efficient way. With ordinary todo lists I would often have something at the bottom I had to do on my way home, such as drop off a letter, and then the top would have a big list of tasks to finish at home (laundry, homework, clean fishtank). Instead of automatically knowing to do the letter first, I'd follow the list and never consider what order would be the most efficient. Additionally, considering the time allows you to find other tricks as well. For instance, if I start laundry before dinner it will run for about 45 min (as long as it takes for my meal prep usually) and then while the meal cooks, I have time to put away my clothes. If I had waited to start the laundry, not considering time, I would have been stuck waiting around a lot longer.
The third method I use is if I have a lot of little assignments or if I am in a more independent study format. The reason I like this method for those instances is because the comprehensive list of tasks allows me to review, in detail, what I need to accomplish. It is also helpful if I will have a series of short study times rather than one long one because it saves me from having to spend 10 minutes figuring out what exactly I should work on. Here's how you go about this format.
1. Make your todo list.
2. Estimate the time each task will take and note that to the side.
3. Separately list of the free slots you have while allowing a few lines in between. I usually plan out around 48 hours in this situation but usually not more in case things change or something takes more/less time than expected.
4. Put each task in sub-bulletsbeneath the time slot you plan it for. When doing this, make sure the estimated time for each task doesn't add up to more time than the slot is for. This will prevent stressing yourself out.
