A+ School Productivity – Introduction

Courtesy K Dooley CC -by

Courtesy K Dooley CC -by

I still remember  my school years. It was all like a game of ever changing rules. Once you get used to primary, you have to enter in the fearful dimension of highschool. If a teacher loves his students to be creative, you can bet the next one would rather prefer them serious, and may God help you if you use color in your essays.  However, there is a sure thing, every teacher wants homework done on time. Which it’s a pity, because, who likes deadlines?

I am going to share a formula: ORGANIZATION = LESS WORK.

Interested? What it’s more: the more organized you are the better you will study, and higher grades.

What’s the problem with no organization?

I think you already know that.

  • You will complete your homework at the last possible time, or you just will not. And go, tell you teachers you forgot your homework. You already know what the’ll answer.
  • You’ll forget your test.
  • You’ll leave that ruler or glue at home because you did not think that… or you believed that…
  • Do I need to continue?

So, I am going to share a system on this blog.

It’s pretty easy, and I will be showing it by bits, a post each. I will concentrate on the most immediate, practical tips. If a brave soul wants to check the theory, there is a great book called Getting Things Done and an “alternative” version called Zen To Done, both excellent.


Everything? Yes, everything. What do you mean by everything. Well, every thing. But really everything? Really, do I have to repeat everything?

  1. Get a planner, or even a simple paper notebook. Make sure it has some blank pages.
  2. If you planner has a timetable for school, fill it now. (I don’t care if you know it by heart, remember the part about writing everything down? S
  3. Place in the calendar of your planner, in the appropriate page, the tasks you have to complete in that day. For example, if you have to finish an essay by February the 10th, write the note in that day.  Not just school stuff. If you have to babysit your little brother, note it down too. If you only note down the school stuff, you could forget and maybe tell a friend you can’t go to do something fun… and you don’t want that.
  4. If a task takes a long time to complete -we call that a project- then note down remainder a few days before. For example you could write in February the 9th: REM: Essay – “Shakespeare: myth or genius?” due Feb the 15th.
  5. But what if a task has not a deadline? Then, don’t use the calendar. Go to a blank page in your planner, write down “To do”, and that’s where you note those things. For example, let’s say you really want to learn how to draw. That has not a deadline, so you go to your “To-Do” list and write down, for example: “Ask mom about art workshop”.

Have you noted everything down? Great. Now revise what you have to do this week.


  • You want to check your planner first thing after you are back from school. THIS IS CRITICAL. It is very important. Yes, really, important enough to write it bold and red. If you don’t check it, your planner will be worthless, no matter how cool. 
  • Take your planner everywhere, except, perhaps, to the swiming pool.
  • Work on your projects as soon as you can. Seize the day. For example, you have just checked your planner, and you see you have to buy some pencils, for example. And let’s suppose that day you have to go to the mall to get something new. So seize the opportunity and get some pencils too.
  • Once you have completed a task, tick it. And when you have everything ticked off, you can smile and relax, knowing that you have done everything you had to do.

Enough for today, soon I will tell you about the “IN folder”, an incredible, ninja secret technique to avoid losing a single paper ever again.


Well, it’s neither ninja, nor secret, but it looked cooler that way.