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Executive Skills: Learn more about your strengths and areas of growth
Executive Skills: Learn more about your strengths and areas of growth
Use a planner
Use a planner
Below are some digital planners you can start using right away - keep track of assignments, projects, tests, and class links- all in one place!
If you prefer to hand write your reminders, pick up a dedicated notebook or journal you will use only for planning.
Google Keep
Google Keep
Click the image or go to https://keep.google.com/ and sign in with your student email!
Use Google Keep to create digital sticky notes and to do lists organized whatever way you want (by class, by day, by week, ongoing, etc). Google Keep can sync with your student email, Google Drive, and calendar.
Add reminders and notifications, pin important notes to the top, copy your list to a google doc, and more!
Simple Weekly Planner
Simple Weekly Planner
Click the image to make a copy of this simplified electronic weekly planner (Google Doc).
This planner in Google Docs has space for daily tasks and weekly goals.
Google Docs can sync reminders to your calendar, Google Keep, and your email to help you remember to get things done!
Daily To Do List
Daily To Do List
Click the image to make a copy of this electronic Daily To Do planner (Google Spreadsheet).
Tabs across the bottom of this Google Spreadsheet have been created for each class period, which gives you more space to plan out your assignments. Double click the tabs to rename them to match your schedule.
Google Sheets can sync reminders to your calendar, Google Keep, and your email to help you remember to get things done!
All In One Planner
All In One Planner
Click the image to make your own copy of this electronic weekly planner (Google Spreadsheet).
The first tab in this Google Spreadsheet organizes your week. Then other tabs across the bottom help you organize tasks by class. Double click on the tabs to rename them to match your schedule.
Google Sheets can sync reminders to your calendar, Google Keep, and your email to help you remember to get things done!
When using any planner, it's important to use it CONSISTENTLY. Click here for some good planner habits:
When using any planner, it's important to use it CONSISTENTLY. Click here for some good planner habits:
Try one for a while and if it doesn't work for you, try a different kind!
Always have your planner handy! At the end of every class:
Write down any important reminders, assignments, or due dates you heard in class.
If you use one with a calendar, put the reminder in the right spot so you see it BEFORE an important due date.
At the end of every day, review what your schedule is and your tasks are for the next day. In your planner, create a list of things you must do or want to accomplish. At the beginning of every day, review your list from the night before. Add any details you might need to get started.
When planning your day, write down the specific times you will start a task. Writing "12:00pm - Start Spanish Project" means you are more likely to follow through!
Be careful not to mix class notes and planners/to do lists in the same notebook. It's easier to lose track of important reminders that way.
Pair your planner with a phone app that can send you reminders (like the Google Keep app!)
Better Manage Your Time
Better Manage Your Time
Start by noticing your routine
Start by noticing your routine
Our brains REALLY like consistency and routine. Routines free up our brains to focus on bigger thinking tasks, instead of getting lost in the details. Establishing a consistent routine will help you today AND in the long run!
Some basics of a healthy routine are:
Going to bed at the same time every night
Waking up at the same time every morning (yes, even on the weekends)
Creating a predictable schedule for your day, including times for meals, breaks, and exercise.
This doesn't mean sticking to specific times (like lunch is at 12:01pm sharp!), but aim to do things at roughly the same time every day (lunch happens between class and homework).
Be flexible! Your routine should fit your needs. Change what you need to to fit your goals.
What’s the most helpful part of your routine right now? Where do you want to make changes?
Start by writing down how you spend your day (in a notebook or in your phone). What trends to do you notice? What takes up too much or too little time or energy? What do you want to target first?
It can take up to THREE WEEKS to change a habit! Stick with it!
Give yourself a direction. Set a realistic goal and stick to it!
Give yourself a direction. Set a realistic goal and stick to it!
SMART Goals are:
Specific: A goal should be written with no wiggle room when asking who, what, when, where, or why.
Measurable: there will be some way you can measure your progress along the way.
Attainable: Ask yourself how realistic it is to achieve your goal.
Relevant: If your goal is relevant, you will answer “yes” to these questions: Is working toward this goal worthwhile? Is now the right time? Will achieving this goal move me closer to my ultimate vision?
Time limited: Set a realistic deadline so you will know what you can do today, next week, and next month to make progress toward achieving your goal.
For example:
"I will bring up my science grade" vs
"I will have at least a 60% grade in science by spring break".
Which one motivates you more? Tailor your routine to help you meet your goals, and track your progress in your planner!
Try the Flora - Green Focus App
Try the Flora - Green Focus App
Flora is one way you can build positive, life-changing habits. Whenever you want to make progress towards your goals, plant a seed in Flora. As you work hard, the seed will grow into a healthy tree along with your confidence!
Give your brain a break!
Give your brain a break!
Take breaks regularly to give your brain a chance to reset and absorb what you're learning. Breaks are healthy, increase productivity (when done correctly), and help you avoid burnout.
A good brain break is something you choose that is not related in any way to schoolwork and feels fun or interesting. It's also a good idea to get up and move! Check out the Brain Break page for ideas.
Tip: alternate work time and break time. Work for 25-30 minutes, take a 5-10 minute break, work for 35-30 minutes, take a break, etc.
Bonus: say goodbye to multitasking! Trying to do more than one thing at once means you are likely to do worse at each thing. If you have a lot to do, practice planning and prioritizing!
Use a timer or try the Pomodoro App
Use a timer or try the Pomodoro App
The app times your work and break periods for you! Customize your timer with time chunks that work for you, distraction free backgrounds, and soothing white noise while you work.
Clear the clutter
Clear the clutter
Keep your physical and digital work spaces simple, neat, and distraction free.
Clean up your Google Drive
Clean up your Google Drive
Keep your Google Drive organized by class so it's easy to find all of your assignments and class materials when you need them.
Tips:
Click the NEW button at the top left of your Drive, select Folder, and name it by class and/or period.
Right click on a folder to change the color, or change the name.
Drag and drop files into the right class folder so your Drive stays neat! You can also put folders inside of folders to keep projects, notes, and assignments separated however you want!
Use the same assignment names from Schoology when creating a new file. That way you can search for it quickly!
Bonus: Rename a document or use the Comment feature to leave a note to yourself that you've turned something in.
Read&Write for Google Chrome
Read&Write for Google Chrome
This extension is already loaded to your Chromebook's browser!
Click on the purple puzzle piece to launch this extension's tools on ANY website, like:
Highlight and save vocabulary or text excerpts, and check the definition of words you don't recognize.
Create and track notes while you read or listen to a video (annotation tools).
Use the screen mask to help you focus on certain parts of your screen at a time
Sync your vocabulary, notes, and highlights with Google Docs!
Use in Google Apps to access extra features!
Too many tabs open? Make them a list instead!
Too many tabs open? Make them a list instead!
After you install the extension, just click on the icon at the top of your page to combine all of your open tabs into one and turn them into A LIST!
When you need the tab again, click on each one individually from the list.
Before you close a tab, click on the icon again so you don't lose the link but it's not open and cluttering up your browser.
Spending too much time on distracting websites?
Spending too much time on distracting websites?
The StayFocusd Chrome Extension increases your productivity by limiting the amount of time that you can spend on time-wasting websites.
Once your allotted time has been used up, the sites you have blocked will be inaccessible for the rest of the day.
It's highly configurable, allowing you to block or allow entire sites, specific subdomains, specific paths, specific pages, even specific in-page content (videos, games, images, forms, etc).
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