how to keep track of assignments at home

Top 7 Homework Planner Apps for Students

Whether you are attending classes, completing your assignments, studying for a quiz, project work, extra-curricular activities, or squeezing some time for friends and family. You’d agree that organizing and planning goes a long way. That’s why a homework organizer or a homework planner app can be a lifesaver to keep track of all your assignments, tests, submission deadlines, and exams. I did the research and shortlisted the perfect homework planner apps for Android and iOS. Let’s check those out.

Read:  Best Notes App for Windows to Increase Productivity

Homework Planner Apps for Students

1. student planner- homework agenda & notes.

The first app on the list is a simple homework and notes management app. It keeps track of homework, assignments, projects, and to-do lists. The layout is minimal, all the tasks are neatly organized with a colored bookmark for easy identification. You can mark a task complete and remove it from the pending list.

Courses can be added easily and color-coded as well. The calendar shows any upcoming deadlines so you can prioritize accordingly. The tasks have a progress bar that you can adjust as you make progress which enables you to get a quick summary without actually opening every task.

You can also break your assignments in small chunks as subtasks that would make finishing a task much easier and the progress bar will fill automatically. It also allows you to attach media files to your assignments or projects for easy access to the important information in one place.

• Progress bar
• Deadline Reminders
• Calendar View
• No option to sync data to the cloud

Student Planner is a great app for all the students, it has all the necessary features like Deadline reminders, subtasks, progress bar, color-coded tasks, and courses. It can significantly increase your productivity when used regularly. You can get this app for free in the Play Store.

Install Student Planner- Homework Agenda ( Android )

2. Student Planner

Student Planner is another fast and simple homework management app which is wrapped by a beautiful and intuitive material designed UI. What Student Planner adds to the table is the inclusion of a schedule or time table which you can use to either store your class schedule or it might even be a study schedule for your exams.

You first start by adding your subject and the schedule then you can add an assignment or set a reminder. The due assignments are arranged as separate cards and can be swiped away once done with.

•  Simple and easy to get started with
•  Fast and small in size
•  Beautiful Minimal UI
•  Option for Schedule
• No sync/backup
• Timetable implementation not perfect

I would recommend this app to anyone who is looking for a simple homework management app with timetable support and a minimal UI.

Install Student Planner ( Android )

Egenda is simple. Open the app, add all the classes or subjects to the app, and once that is set up, you have the option of adding a new Homework, Quiz, Project, or Test and choose the respective subject deadlines. The app also arranges the due work in cards that can be swiped away when done. But what I love the most about this app is that the fact it allows you to go subject-wise and view all your upcoming tests, projects, or pending assignments which is a huge convenience for planning your schedule ahead of time instead of the previous day.

Unfortunately, the app doesn’t have a timetable option, but in its latest update, it added a  Calendar View  where you can see your whole month at a glance with your assignments, tests, and projects.

•  Subject-wise sorting
•  Calendar View
• No timetable support

Egenda provides some great tools for Homework and Test planning and I am sure anyone would find them extremely convenient and useful. But keeping its single con in mind, go for this app if you are not too keen on having a schedule or timetable.

Install  Egenda  ( Android  |  iOS )

4. ChalkBoard

The next app on our list is ChalkBoard, which I found out to be a pretty smart homework planner app. Chalkboard strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and features.

Although the setup process is a little longer than the previous three apps, as you have to feed meticulous details about the classes, teacher, and schedule. It is worth the effort.

On the home screen, you are shown upcoming classes, events tab, and upcoming tests. ChalkBoard fetches the dates for every subject from the Timetable for your future classes. Little features like these make the app stand out from the rest and give an overall great experience. You can also view classes and assignments subject wise.

• Proper Timetable
• Ability to add teachers for subjects
• View tomorrow’s classes as well as assignments/tests/quizzes
• Smart features
• Little longer to set up
• No calendar view

If you are looking for a homework planner as well as a school planner, Chalkboard is the app as it strikes a great ground with almost all the features one might need while not being too bulky.

Install ChalkBoard ( Android )

5. School Planner

School Planner is a full-fledged planning application designed for students to manage their career as a student. Along with your homework and timetables, School Planner offers you to keep track of your grades and attendance, add contacts for teachers, add recorded lectures, and even multiple planners.

The app supports backing up of all your data via Google Drive, Calendar View along with a weekly report, attaching snapshots to your assignment reminders, student accounts from ClassViva, and a lot more. In spite of so many features, the app doesn’t feel slow at all and delivers a powerful performance with its beautiful design.

• Full-fledged student companion
• Feature-packed and free
• Supports sync and backup
• Widget Support
• Tedious setup procedure
• Big in size
• Complex, not so smooth learning curve

While it is not for someone who is looking for a fast and easy way into homework management, School Planner is a great student companion app and serious students will surely get the most out of hit.

Install School Planner ( Android )

6. My Study Life

My Study Life comes with its own web app and syncs with the Android app, essentially making your data accessible from any device as long as it has a browser.

It implements a goal-centric circular tracker that shows your progress. The Calendar view combines your timetable, deadlines, and shows all your classes and assignments, projects in a single place.

• Refreshingly new UI
• Access from anywhere through its web app
• Sync and Backup
• Lengthy setup process

If you study from your computer or laptop, My Study Life makes it easy to access your homework planner on your phone from your computer, while not compromising on features and being completely free. What more can you ask for?

Install My Study Life ( Android  |  iOS )

7. iStudiez Pro

Like School Planner, iStudiez Pro includes grading and subject wise organization of tasks. iStudiez Pro takes it further with the integration of Google Calendar that allows you to directly get all your holidays, exam schedule, routine from Google Calendar itself.

It also offers separate apps on all platforms including iOS, Mac, and Windows. All the apps sync seamlessly between themselves, so studying on your computer consulting your planner won’t be an issue.

• Google Calendar Integration
• Cross-Platform
• Cumulative Price

If Google Calendar integration and cross-platform support is a must for you, iStudiez Pro is definitely the app you want.

Install iStudiez Pro ( Android   |  iOS )

So this was our roundup of the best homework planner apps for Android. We genuinely think that there is an app for every need and we hope that you found a Homework Planner that suits your need whether you are a high school student or a college senior. So which one was your favorite or did we forget to add yours? Let us know in the comments below.

Also Read:  Take a Picture of Handwriting And Convert to Text – Android Apps

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How to keep track of homework assignments

Katie Azevedo December 29, 2016 good habits , homework , productivity , study skills , time management

The first step to getting a good grade on an assignment is to … wait for it … do the assignment!

Simple, right?

Maybe, but only if you remember to do the assignment. For some students, knowing how to keep track of assignments and their due dates is a huge challenge. Here, I’m going to explain how to keep track of assignments and projects, and give you some tips for staying organized. A cool angle to this is that what I’m going to be talking about is completely applicable outside of school. So if you’re not a student, but you still have due dates and project deadlines – pretty much like any human – then this system is for you, too.

1.  Find a planner system and use it multiple times every day.

The KEY step for keeping track of homework, which I’ll get to next , is to write everything down. But before that happens, you need a place to write it all. You have three options here. 1) paper 2) digital 3) a combination of both. Personally, I use a combination of both. While I am a pen and paper person at heart, I do use Google calendar in addition to my paper calendar. I have a family and a business to run, so I need the digital aspect to be able to share calendars with other people. For my paper calendar I use the Staples Arc system . It’s cheap, simple, and super customizable.

I advise you to pick a system based on what’s convenient and easy, and not on what is cool. There are a gazillion list apps out there with fancy features — some of you may have heard of Evernote , the king of task management apps — but the goal is to keep it simple and use a system that you don’t have to stress about. If it’s too complicated, you won’t want to be bothered to even take it out when you need it. Whatever you pick, be sure it includes a monthly calendar and a daily calendar/agenda. Here’s why:

A monthly calendar allows you to see, at a glance, what assignments and appointments are coming up over the next few days or weeks or months. It’s key for long-term planning.

A daily calendar/agenda allows you to see and plan for what’s coming up tomorrow and in the very near future.

Whether you go for a dated calendar or an undated one (one you have to date yourself) is up to you. What size is up to you. (I use a half-sized one and a full-sized one!) Here’s a picture:

The cover and paper inside your planner is up to you. Whether you color-code your entries is up to you. (I do!) Make it something you’re excited to use, while keeping it simple.

It’s important to use your system multiple times a day because the more you use it, the more you trust it. And the more you trust it, the more it will work.

I’ve heard so many students say “I’ve tried using an assignment notebook and calendar, but it doesn’t work.” But when I ask them if they write everything down, they say no. And that’s why. So you’ve got to commit to your system. Use it multiple times every day. Get in the habit of checking it every morning or every night before bed so you know what’s on your agenda.

2.  Write everything down. And the operative word here is EVERYTHING.

I have a theory that I’ve lived by for the longest time: Our brains weren’t made for storing information, but are instead made for creating and processing information. (Lol … it turns out that I’m not a genius and that I didn’t invent this theory.) Several scientific studies actually support the idea that to a degree we have a maximum brain capacity. And if we use up all that capacity for storing information and trying to remember everything … then there will be no brain energy left to create, think and process. So by writing things down, we get them out of our heads, which frees up space for us to be smarter and more creative.

Plus, there is just no way on earth that we can remember every little detail of what’s due when, as well as the time and date of your next doctor’s appointment. If something comes up and you’re not sure whether to write it down, write it down!

Here’s what you should be keeping track of:

• Daily homework assignments (short-term)
• Project due dates (long-term)
• Upcoming tests/quizzes
• Books that have to be read by a certain point
• Appointments (doctor, dentist, guidance counselor, coach, etc.)
• Things you’re supposed to remember to do (ie: talk to math teacher)
• After-school activities, sports (even if you have practice every day from 2:30-5, block out that time on your calendar)
• Weekend activities

Here’s another important tip: write assignments down the moment their assigned, and write appointments down the moment their scheduled. Do NOT tell yourself that you’ll remember to write it down later. Doesn’t work! Plus – that defeats the purpose: you don’t want to use your brain to remember . If you don’t have your paper agenda with you when something comes up, then set a reminder in your phone to write it down later, or write the assignment down on a sticky note and put it somewhere you won’t forget. Then, transfer the information into your planner the moment you get home.

3.  Set up reminders.

Let’s say you have a project due in one week, so you write down “biology project due” on your calendar on the date it’s due. Sound good? No! No, because you don’t want to end up checking your calendar on the project’s due date and realizing “Oh crap! It’s due today!” So the hack for remembering to do the assignments you write down is this: remind yourself along the way.

You can do this several ways, depending on your system. If you’re using digital, like a phone, use the default reminder app to remind yourself of the project at least a few days before it’s due. You can even set up several reminders throughout the week. If you’re using a good old paper calendar, then in addition to writing down “project due” on the actual due date, write in several reminders to work on the project on the days leading up to the due date.

A reminder system also helps you manage your time for long-term assignments because it encourages you to work a little bit each day towards the larger goal.

4.  Keep your planner/calendar accurate and up-to-date.

Your homework management system is only going to work if it’s accurate. So you’ve got to be sure that you update your calendar and your agenda as things change. So if your teacher gives an extension or changes the due date of a project, or if your band concert or meeting is rescheduled, make those edits in your calendar. (Try to keep it neat if you’re using a paper system, so that might mean using whiteout. Messy on paper equals messy in the head.) And remember the rule: make these changes immediately if possible.

If you end up using a combination of a digital system and a paper system, make sure you sync the two systems daily. I have run into the problem where I’ve added an appointment in my phone, but then forgot to add it to my paper calendar, and then I totally forgot about it. Oops! So I make it a habit to review both calendars/agendas every night to make sure they both contain the same information.

How to keep track of homework assignments: Extra tip

There are going to be times when you fall off the bandwagon and let your system slip. You might go a few days or even a week without writing things down – either because you forget or you keep telling yourself that you’ll do it later. But don’t give up on your system. Just pick up where you left off and get back to writing down every little detail. Whenever you wander away from your system, bring yourself back to it, and don’t judge yourself.

Also, these moments can be learning opportunities! Whenever you stop using your agenda or calendar, ask yourself why? Why did you stop? What part of the system wasn’t working? If the system was easy enough to use, you wouldn’t have stopped. Is your notebook so big that it’s annoying to bring with you? Then get a smaller one. Are you not writing assignments down because you don’t have enough space in the “Daily Agenda” part of your notebook? Then get a notebook that gives you more room to write down your daily tasks. Did you think you were a techie, but find the app stuff too complicated? Or vice versa? Then switch systems. Modify as you go. You won’t come up with the perfect system right away, but you will instead figure out what works for you as you go. Be open to change.

So those are my 4 strategies for how to keep track of homework assignments. If you have some strategies of your own, then please share them in the comments below!

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Unlock your potential and manage your classes, tasks and exams with mystudylife- the world's #1 student planner and school organizer app..

School planner and organizer

The MyStudyLife planner app supports rotation schedules, as well as traditional weekly schedules. MSL allows you to enter your school subjects, organize your workload, and enter information about your classes – all so you can effortlessly keep on track of your school calendar.

Homework planner and task tracker

Become a master of task management by tracking every single task with our online planner – no matter how big or small.

Stay on top of your workload by receiving notifications of upcoming classes, assignments or exams, as well as incomplete tasks, on all your devices.

“Featuring a clean interface, MyStudyLife offers a comprehensive palette of schedules, timetables and personalized notifications that sync across multiple devices.”

” My Study Life is a calendar app designed specifically for students. As well as showing you your weekly timetable– with support for rotations – you can add exams, essay deadlines and reminders, and keep a list of all the tasks you need to complete. It also works on the web, so you can log in and check your schedule from any device.”

“MyStudyLife is a great study planner app that makes it simple for students to add assignments, classes, and tests to a standard weekly schedule.”

“I cannot recommend this platform enough. My Study Life is the perfect online planner to keep track of your classes and assignments. I like to use both the website and the mobile app so I can use it on my phone and computer! I do not go a single day without using this platform–go check it out!!”

“Staying organized is a critical part of being a disciplined student, and the MyStudyLife app is an excellent organizer.”

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The MyStudyLife student planner helps you keep track of all your classes, tasks, assignments and exams – anywhere, on any device.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school or college MyStudyLife’s online school agenda will organize your school life for you for less stress, more productivity, and ultimately, better grades.  

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We get it- student life can be busy. Start each day with the confidence that nothing important will be forgotten, so that you can stay focused and get more done.

Track your class schedule on your phone or computer, online or offline, so that you always know where you’re meant to be.

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Say goodbye to last minute stress with MyStudyLife’s homework planner to make procrastination a thing of the past.

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The 10 Best Study Planning Apps for All Students

These study planner apps for Android and iPhone help you get organized in school by tracking your assignments, tests, and other coursework.

As a student, you're responsible for keeping track of test dates, quizzes, homework assignments, and final exams. On top of that, maybe you partake in after-school activities and sports. This makes it even harder for you to keep track of due dates and tests.

If you feel that you're sinking into a pile of assignments, you need to add some organization to your life. These are some of the best study planner apps for Android and iOS that can help you set times to study and remind you of upcoming exams, so you're not caught off-guard.

Chipper is one of the most popular and best study planners for students. Using Chipper can greatly improve your time-management skills.

This study planning app comes equipped with several tools dedicated to students . Simply add all the courses that you're currently taking, and organize them by time and date in the built-in schedule.

Chipper also allows you to add tests, homework due dates, papers, labs, and quizzes to your calendar to help you stay on top of your coursework. On top of that, you can set reminders that Chipper will send as notifications, so you never miss a deadline. And when you're ready to study, open the Study tab to set a timer for your session.

That means you don't need to download a Pomodoro timer app for such. But if you do, here are the best Pomodoro timer apps .

This app rewards you with earnings in the form of imaginary cash as you complete tasks. You don't actually receive any of these earnings in real life, but it's a good incentive to keep you moving forward.

Download: Chipper for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

2. Classify

Use Classify to build an easy-to-read schedule for your homework assignments, projects, quizzes, and other activities. Because it has a clear and simple interface and a lot of useful features, it is a unique study tracker app.

Classify helps you organize your school life by adding everything important in one place. It also provides templates for tasks, homework assignments, and events. For example, you can attach a PDF when you add an assignment, and you can set priorities for tasks.

Simply add this semester's courses, along with assignments and their due dates. Classify will let you know when your assignments are due and give you helpful reminders about upcoming deadlines, making it a great study planner app for students. Additionally, it has a Pomodoro functionality built-in if you fancy using the Pomodoro technique .

Download: Classify for iOS | Android (Free)

3. My Study Life

My Study Life is yet another great study planner app you should try today. With My Study Life, you can easily add tasks, classes, and exams to a weekly schedule template for students. When you add your classes, you can input detailed information about them such as the room number, module, time, and even the teacher.

If you struggle to remember holidays or class rotations, you can input that information in My Study Life as well. Your dashboard displays all your upcoming assignments, exams, and classes. This way, you'll never forget about that assignment that's due tomorrow.

Download: My Study Life for iOS | Android (Free)

4. Power Planner

Power Planner is a clean and simple study schedule app that's perfect for middle school, high school, and even college students.

As one of the most useful apps for every student , it helps you remember class times, keep track of tests, and can assist you with staying on top of your assignments.

Power Planner integrates with Google Calendar to make your life even easier. Better yet, you can also estimate your GPA by inputting assignment and test grades.

However, if you want to add more than one semester and five grades per class, you'll have to spend a few dollars on the premium version.

Download: Power Planner for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

5. Lessons School Planner

Lessons School Planner is a study tracking app that is built with simplicity in mind ensuring your energy is focused on increasing productivity and getting work done instead of organization. It can be likened to a simple to-do list tool but for students. When you download the app, you can start by creating a custom lesson plan, or importing one if you have it already on another device.

The app has lessons added already, but you can customize them depending on your needs. It makes organization easier by using a number system to organize lessons.

Tapping on a subject on your daily lesson plan allows you to add activities related to it, like an upcoming assignment submission deadline, exam, test, project, presentation, and more. These activities can then be viewed on a dedicated page. The app also allows you to set reminders for your tasks, ensuring that you don't miss out on anything important.

Download: Lessons for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

6. Study Bunny: Focus Timer

Study Bunny is a less conventional study tracker app, but it makes studying a lot more fun. For starters, it introduces you to an adorable cartoon bunny that acts as your study partner.

You can use the app to time study sessions, create awesome to-do lists , make flashcards, and keep track of your progress.

When you start studying, you'll earn coins that you can use to treat the bunny. You can buy items to feed and customize your pal, which will help motivate you to finish a long study session.

Download: Study Bunny: Focus Timer for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

Vaia (formerly StudySmarter) is a helpful study-planning app that lets you collaborate with other students from around the world.

To help you save time, the app allows for shareable flashcards. This means that you can search for and use flashcards that other users have already made which makes learning easier. As a study planner app for students, Vaia is also featured in our list of the best flash card apps .

In addition to that handy feature, Vaia lets you upload and annotate documents, as well as create study groups with students from other universities. And when you want to check your progress, you can use the app's built-in charts to visualize your study time and see if you're meeting your weekly goals.

Download: Vaia for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

8. myHomework Student Planner

The myHomework Student Planner app is a straightforward way to keep tabs on your studies. To get started, you simply have to input your class schedule and any upcoming assignments.

myHomework Student Planner will then generate a color-coded class schedule, as well as a calendar that organizes your upcoming classes, assignments, and tests. Besides that, it also creates a clean list of homework assignments, which makes it much easier to remember important due dates.

Download: myHomework Student Planner for iOS | Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

9. Smart Timetable

To get started on Smart Timetable, add your classes as events with how often you want to study for them. When it's time to hunker down, Smart Timetable will send a notification to your phone as a reminder.

The app allows you to input additional information about each class including the type, building and room number, and instructor, and you can even upload class notes. Each day the app's home page has the day's classes, and you can swipe left to view upcoming classes in the follow-up days.

There's also a task tab where you can add your upcoming assignments and tick them off once you're done.

Download: Smart Timetable for Android (Free, subscription available)

10. School Planner

The School Planner app has a ton of versatility when it comes to schedule options. You can input your classes into the app by using the available easy-to-use default templates.

Templates include everything you need to stay on top of your classes, including day, time, teacher, subject, frequency, and room. You also have the ability to add any upcoming events, whether it's a simple reminder, an upcoming exam, or a homework submission deadline.

All the upcoming tasks will show up on the app's home page in a sleek Overview page with a snapshot of any upcoming events in the next seven days, what's on your schedule today, tomorrow, and a detailed outlook of the upcoming week. School Planner's interface and organization make it one of the best study scheduling apps around.

The experience isn't limited to class times and assignments; you can also add grades, teachers, recordings, and days you were absent. Hit the hamburger icon in the top left to get an idea of how much the app offers.

Download: School Planner for Android (Free, in-app purchases available)

Stay on Track With the Best Study Planner Apps for Students

Who needs a messy assignment book when you have a study planner app? Instead of jotting down due dates on your calendar, take them with you on your smartphone.

Moreover, having an app at your fingertips can serve as a reminder to start studying or to complete an important assignment. Better yet, it's much easier to read and visualize when you use a template in an app.

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5 ways to organize your college assignments.

BY JANE HURST

Weekly assignments, midterms, final papers… all piling up each day, making every year of your college life seem more difficult than the previous one. But it doesn’t have to be this hard.

There are several different ways to help you sort out your assignments and actually get started with completing them. Whether you prefer putting all your notes and ideas on paper or would rather reduce your carbon footprint and go all in for tech, here are 5 ways to organize your student assignments:

• Assignment binders and planners

Perhaps the most accessible method for organizing your student assignments is creating a binder to hold all your papers, reminders, and auxiliary materials. You can either create one for each class or a separate binder for your assignments only. Alternatively, you can put together an up-to-date semester agenda with assignments and their due dates so you can check it out each week to see what’s next for you to prepare and if you’re on track with college work.

These two options are strong organization tools you can reach out to at any time. Try color-coding or sorting them in a specific order of your choice to find the files you need more easily. For instance, you can divide your assignments binder into 3 parts: a red folder for assignments you have to complete, a yellow one for the ones you’re working on, and a green folder for any papers you’ve already delivered. Be careful here not to put an assignment you’re done with into the green folder until you’ve delivered it to your teacher.

• Digital Kanban boards

If you’d rather have a tool remind you when your assignments are due, try digital Kanban boards. A Kanban visual board is a practical method that lets you track all assignments and college work through 3 simple stages: To Do, In Progress, and Finished/Delivered.

You’ll receive email notifications or alerts whenever an assignment’s deadline is approaching. The best part is that these tools can also be used together with your classmates in case you’ve got group projects to work on.

Free project management software options like Paymo often offer a Kanban feature in addition to simple to-do lists that will also allow you to keep track of any other duties you have be they personal or college related.

• Consider a cloud-based file storage solution

If you’re always on the run going from one class to another, you probably won’t want to keep all your files, binders, and notes with you. Online file storage options like Dropbox or Google Drive help you store all of these in a single place.

This way, you’ll be able to access your assignments and class notes from anywhere whether you’re on your laptop, smartphone, or classroom computer. You can also become a power user of these digital solutions by learning how to organize your files into folders so you’ve got every structured according to your year of study, semester, and class.

• The classical desktop folders

For those of you who like taking their laptop to class and writing down all notes digitally, you might want to stick to organizing all files in your computer. This is an accessible and free method that will also allow you to get started with an assignment without having to download any external files.

An example for this filing system could be: Assignments -> Molecular Foundations -> Midterm Assignments -> To Do -> DNA recombination paper (file).

To make sure you don’t miss a deadline, just pair this method with a project management tool or your calendar app to send you regular reminders in time.

• The Big6 Organizer 

Now that you’ve got your files sorted, you need a strategy to get started with working on your assignments. The Big6 method is a 6-step process that helps you conduct your research through a series of clear stages. This way you’ll never be stuck again wondering what you’re supposed to do next.

The 6 stages are:

• Task definition – Define your information-related problem and find the facts and figures you need. 2. Information seeking strategies – Identify all potential information sources and establish the best ones. 3. Location and access – Locate these sources and find the info you need within them. 4. Use of information – Engage with the information you found by reading any written content, watching a video, or experimenting and extract only the information that is relevant to your research. 5. Synthesis – Organize the info you found in your multiple sources and present it in a structured manner. 6. Evaluation – Judge the effectiveness of your results and analyze if the research process was efficient and you’ve covered all of the assignment’s aspects.

Test a few of these methods for organizing your student assignments before you decide to rigorously follow one. Pay particular attention to how stress-free you feel when using one or another of these techniques. For example, if you’re feeling anxious at all times thinking you’ll forget to hand in an assignment, then perhaps it’s better for you to go for one of the digital methods that will notify you whenever a due date is approaching.

Jane Hurst has been working in education for over 5 years as a teacher. She loves sharing her knowledge with students, is fascinated about edtech and loves reading, a lot. Follow Jane on Twitter.

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The 5 best academic planners for college students

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• Keeping track of homework assignments, events, and goals in college can be overwhelming.
• A physical planner can make it easier to stay organized, set goals, and jot down quick notes.
• Below are the 5 best academic planners for college in 2022, from brands like Moleskine and Blue Sky.

When it comes to juggling classes, weekend plans, and long-term goals in college, using a paper planner is never a bad idea. For one, physically writing down information is shown to improve your memory , which comes in handy for keeping track of due dates and extracurricular events throughout the year.

The other benefit of writing in a physical academic planner is it gives you a screen-less space to reflect on your goals, cross off finished homework, and organize your life. With the variety of planners out there, you can find everything from simple daily planners for easy scheduling to journals focused on time management or habit-tracking. And if you decide to get one in the middle of the academic year, there are plenty of undated versions, too.

The 5 best academic planners for college students in 2022:

Best college academic planner overall: Blue Sky Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner, $20 at Amazon Of all the planners out there, we consider the Blue Sky Academic Planner the best one overall because of its weekly and monthly layouts, which are great for both quick calendar planning and more in-depth notetaking for each day of the week.

Best college academic planner for scheduling: PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner, $14.95 at Amazon If you prefer to use your planner strictly for scheduling, the PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner comes with weekly and monthly overviews as well as a class schedule tracker.

Best customizable college academic planner: Moleskine Spiral Academic Planner, $28.99 at Amazon While Moleskine is most famously known for its classic minimalist notebooks , this spiral academic planner boasts the same high quality but with more guidance on its pages.  

Best college academic planner for self-reflection: bloom daily planners Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner, $26.95 at Amazon When it comes to planners set around specific goals, bloom daily planners is our favorite for its themed planners, such as its Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner.

Best undated college academic planner: BK Undated Weekly/Monthly Planner 2022-2023, $14.50 at Amazon The Perfect Planner from BK makes it easy to jump in, no matter where you are in the year.

Best college academic planner overall

Blue Sky 2022-2023 Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner, $20, available at Amazon

Of all the planners out there , we consider the Blue Sky Academic Planner the best one overall because of its weekly and monthly layouts, which are great for both quick calendar planning and more in-depth notetaking for each day of the week. It also comes with a yearly goal section to write down broader reflections.

Additionally, the Blue Sky Academic Planner comes in a huge variety of colors and sizes , making it feel more customizable.

Best college academic planner for scheduling

PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner 2022-2023, $14.95, available at Amazon

If you prefer to use your planner strictly for scheduling, the PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner comes with weekly and monthly overviews as well as a class schedule tracker. Its lay-flat layout makes it easy to simply leave it open on a desk, and its 100 gsm acid-free paper is thicker than typical planner paper, so you're less likely to have any pen bleed-throughs that mess up your calendar.

There are also extra pages for miscellaneous notes such as holidays, birthdays, and other big events to remember.

Best customizable college academic planner

Moleskine 2022-2023 Spiral Academic Planner, $28.99, available at Amazon

While Moleskine is most famously known for its classic minimalist notebooks , this spiral academic planner boasts the same high quality but with more guidance on its pages.  

On top of its weekly and monthly calendars, class schedule, GPA tracker, project tracker, and habit tracker, it also has select prompts like "this year, I will:" and "why was this year memorable?". 

The number of journaling options available in this one notebook makes it a great planner to customize. You can use it for remembering assignments and grades, or add elements of goal-setting and daily journaling to the mix, adding creative elements like sticky notes or drawing to truly make this planner your own.

Best college academic planner for self-reflection

bloom daily planners 2022-2023 Hardcover Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner, $26.95, available at Amazon 

When it comes to planners set around specific goals, bloom daily planners is our favorite for its themed planners, such as its Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner. On top of weekly and monthly calendar pages, this planner includes pages for in-depth goal-setting in all areas of life, including relationships, fitness, finances, family, and fun. 

Beyond promoting a healthy balance between academic study and other important things like friendships and health, its layout encourages breaking down bigger goals into actionable steps so you're not overwhelmed with tasks during an already busy time.

Best undated college academic planner

BK Undated Weekly/Monthly Planner 2022-2023, $14.50, available at Amazon

If you're months into college when you realize you could really use a planner, it can be frustrating to pay for one when you can't use all the pages. Undated planners, like the Perfect Planner from BK, make it easy to jump in no matter where you are in the year.

It has all the same benefits as a dated planner, including monthly and weekly pages. But it also has 68 extra pages for notes, with dotted paper that makes it great for bullet journaling . As an added bonus, it comes bound with a sleek vegan leather cover for a stylish touch.

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Tips and Tools to Help Students Study, Take Notes, and Focus

With a new academic year rolling around, students of all ages will be looking for help and guidance with their work—and there are a wealth of options on mobile app stores and the web to help you succeed.

Here we've picked out some of the best apps and services across multiple categories, including time management, homework help, note-taking, and more. Put them together and you've got a comprehensive toolkit for making sure that this year is a good one.

No matter what your requirements, courses, or study habits are, there should be something here for you (or for the young student in your life). You might be surprised at just how much difference the right app can make.

Trello can adapt itself to whatever purpose you have in mind.

The main appeal of Trello is its versatility: You can adapt the simple card-based interface in whichever way you want—whether to keep track of individual homework assignments or to log multiple research strands in an essay—and the software will adapt accordingly.

You can assign categories and deadlines to cards, attach files to them, and drop in to-do lists. However you decide to use Trello, you're going to find it straightforward to get around the app with easy drag-and-drop operations and a ton of options and features.

Trello (freemium for web, Android, iOS)

Get help from Socratic with just about any topic.

Powered by Google's artificial intelligence engines, Socratic is here to answer any question on any topic, whether you need step-by-step math explanations, a quick overview of a historical event or work of literature, or details of a particular set of biological processes.

Reece Rogers

Max Freeman-Mills

Julian Chokkattu

Scott Gilbertson

All you need to do is ask a question (or even in the case of a math or geometry problem, take a photo). You might be surprised at the comprehensiveness of the answers that Socratic can give you, and the app comes with a variety of curated study guides as well.

Socratic (free for Android, iOS)

There isn't much that WolframAlpha doesn't know.

WolframAlpha is a search engine and knowledge library that makes Google look plain and dumbed down by comparison: It covers everything from mathematical equations to political geography, and it's a resource that you'll find yourself turning to again and again.

Using a finely tuned set of algorithms, the WolframAlpha engine can tell you the plots of novels, the histories of countries, the solutions to algebra problems, the compositions of materials, and much more—check out the examples it gives you for some tips.

WolframAlpha (freemium for web, Android, iOS)

Google Keep is one of the best note-taking apps around.

When it comes to note-taking apps, you've got a wealth of options to pick from, but Google Keep can hold its own against the best. It looks simple to begin with—and is very simple to use—but there are plenty of advanced features to make use of if you dig a bit deeper.

Whether you're tracking lessons or study assignments, you can associate times, dates, tags, and pictures to your notes, and you can even collaborate on notes with other people if you need to. There's also the option to quickly convert notes into documents in Google Docs.

Google Keep (free for web, Android, iOS)

Keep track of everything academic with myHomework Student Planner.

The name of this app tells you pretty much all you need to know about it: myHomework Student Planner gives you a well-designed, flexible, intuitive suite of tools to make sure you're always on top of everything you need to do academically throughout the year.

You can track classes, homework, larger assignments, and tests through the app, and everything syncs seamlessly across whatever devices you happen to be using. Some of the useful features here include deadline reminders and customizable theme options.

myHomework Student Planner (freemium for web, Android, iOS)

Headspace has meditations specifically for kids.

You may well have come across the Headspace meditation app, and Headspace for Kids is the part of the main app dedicated to younger people. It covers the fundamentals of meditation with scaled-down sessions specifically made for those who are still growing up.

These sessions cover breathing exercises, showing kindness to others, and staying focused. And of course, as kids get older they can move on to the adult sections. There is a monthly fee, but you can try it for free, and it gives you a big return on your investment.

Headspace for Kids ($13 a month with a free trial for Android, iOS)

Keep study sessions on track with Bear Focus Timer.

Staying concentrated and on task can make the difference between success and failure when it comes to study sessions, and Bear Focus Timer is one of the best apps around when it comes to making sure your mind doesn't wander when you need to be working.

You set a customized session time, and then Tom the bear will keep you on course with encouragements, reminders, and white noise if necessary. It's one of the more unusual focus apps out there, which is what makes it particularly effective in doing its job.

Bear Focus Timer ($2 for iOS)

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How To Keep Track of College Homework (10 Methods)

Talk to several students about college, and one issue will always rise to the top, which is that keeping up with the assignments is a pain. Unfortunately, assignments make up most of your grades, so you have no choice but to do them if you want to pass. But how do you manage all that college homework and still have time to study and have a life?

Here’s how to keep track of college homework:

• Write everything down.
• Have a calendar.
• Use a planner.
• Prioritize, prioritize, prioritize.
• Set reminders.
• Digitize your notes.
• Divide complex assignments into small tasks.
• Eliminate distractions.
• Stick to the schedule.
• Have a homework accountability team.

Read on as I will explain how these tips will help you in keeping track of your college homework.

1. Write Everything Down

In the words of David Allen, “Your brain is for having ideas, not storing them” ( source ). 

If you’ve ever wondered why you forget so many things, it’s because your mind wasn’t meant for storing loads of information, and you shouldn’t try to force it. Instead, write down everything the lecturer says you should do later, so your brain has room to process what you learned that day and be creative.

So, what should you write down? Every little thing, including time and dates, and the following:

• Daily homework
• Long-term assignments
• Upcoming quizzes
• Books to be read
• Appointments
• Weekend and after school activities
• Random things you want to remember later, like asking your teacher something or borrowing a certain book.

The only efficient way to do this is to write down everything immediately when it’s assigned or when it comes to mind. Don’t tell yourself that you will write later, because you may not. 

If you don’t have a physical planner on hand, set a reminder on your phone to write it down later ( source ).

2. Have a Calendar

The next step to tracking your homework is to have a working calendar system, which can be paper, digital, or a combination of both. I recommend using both but go with what works better for you.

The sole purpose is to give you structure so you know what time to do what, instead of guessing. It also frees up space in your head so you can think about other things. Instead of having to remember classes, due dates, and assignments, you have a visual cue of what to do next so you can stay organized and on track.

If you have a digital calendar such as Google Calendar , you can get automatic reminders of important events and things you need to do before time. The type of calendar you use doesn’t matter as long as you can easily dump all the important events and tasks there. 

Some of the things to include in your calendar are:

• Assignments due dates
• Exam dates and term papers.
• Clubs or extracurricular meeting times
• Your work schedule if you have a part-time job.
• Important appointments with doctors, dentists, or professors.
• Group meetings

Ideally, you should be able to see the entire semester’s calendar at a glance. This will let you see what you have for this week and next week and possibly any long-term assignments whose deadlines are drawing near. 

You will also be able to slot in long-term homework on days when you are not so busy.

3. Use a Planner

The difference between a planner and an organization calendar is that you can have daily to-do lists with a planner, not monthly or weekly. This will help you stay organized, prioritize what is most important and stay away from distractions. To make a planner work for you, look at your list of things to do as well as your calendar, then plan your day accordingly.

Do you have an assignment due on Thursday? Schedule it on Monday and Tuesday so you can edit and hand it in before the due date. Schedule daily homework in the morning to be done before attending that class. 

It’s important to slot out at least an hour daily for homework, even if nothing is urgent.

You will also include your classes, study time, cleaning, extracurricular activities, and any appointments you have that day. You should do this daily and tick off an activity once you are done with it. 

Again, you can use a digital or paper planner or both as long as you do it daily and follow it.

Schedule your assignments during slots where you don’t have a class, the 2 hour period before classes start, and the evening if you don’t have other mandatory activities. You can also utilize your lunch break for eating and finishing one homework.

Some of the best digital planners for college students include:

• Class Timetable
• My Study Life

4. Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

You have your calendar and your planner on hand. How do you ensure they work for you? It’s all about knowing how to prioritize. If you count classes, games, time with friends, and study time, you have very limited time to do your homework during the day.

This means you have to make the best of the little time you have by picking one or two assignments you can do. 

Look at your calendar and your to-do list and see what is more urgent. Do you have homework that is due today or tomorrow? That should be number one on your list. Number two should be the next most urgent thing.

That said, it’s important to avoid holding off things until the last minute unless the time frame to do your homework is only one day. This is why making time for homework every day is crucial.

5. Set Reminders

Even with a planner, it’s possible to have things fall off the cracks with all you have to do in college. 

You can ensure you don’t miss homework deadlines by setting a reminder on your phone, which should ring during a period when you are usually free and not when you are busy in class or a club.

But there is one more thing you need to consider when setting reminders. Don’t set it to ring on the due date. Set a reminder for two to three days before the due date so you have time to complete the homework. If it’s a short deadline homework, set the reminder for that evening before the due date or the morning of, so you don’t forget.

In addition to using a digital reminder, be sure to include several reminders on your physical planner. The simple act of seeing something you need to do that day when you look at your planner in the morning will keep you on your toes all day.

6. Digitize Your Notes

Have you ever started to do your assignment and realized you left the notes you need for it in school? Or perhaps you have the books with you, but it’s taking forever to find exactly where those specific notes are. 

Taking notes digitally and saving them on your computer eliminates these problems.

You have easy access to your notes, especially if you save them on Google Docs, and it’s easier to organize them for easy access. If you cannot take notes digitally in class using a computer keyboard or smart pen, you can transfer them in your own time from paper to computer. 

Alternatively, use an app to photograph your hand-written notes and transcribe them into digital copies.

When you have all your notes with you all the time, it’s easy to do your homework wherever you are. It will also take less time to find the resources you need to do your assignments.

7. Divide Complex Assignments Into Small Tasks

Some college assignments are long, hard, and complicated. You have to do research, write the projects and add other stuff to make your homework the best. Doing this every day can be overwhelming, especially since you have other things to attend to.

The best way to handle such complex work is to divide it into small manageable tasks you can do every day. For example, if you have a writing project, take 1-3 days just for research and jotting down what stands out from your research. 

You can block one hour or even 45 minutes every day for that.

After that, go through your rough notes and develop an outline and a good heading, which should take one day slot. Take another day to do the actual writing and another day to edit.

The important thing is to dig into this homework every day and give yourself a deadline for completing it. In the end, it won’t feel so overwhelming anymore, and you will not struggle to finish in time ( source ).

8. Eliminate Distractions

A big reason college students fail to complete assignments on time is distractions. Social media, television, hanging out with friends and spending too much time on extracurricular activities. 

While all those things are important for a young person, they have to be given their own time.

Slot these activities for evenings when you are free and after you have completed your daily to-do list. Alternatively, you can set a timer for things like social media and stop immediately the timer goes off. If your distraction is notifications on your phone, switch off the phone or put it on airplane mode while doing your homework or studying.

For most college students, avoiding distraction means going to a secluded place where their friends won’t find them. You can try the library basement or a hidden corner in the basement, where no one will find you. 

Another great tip is to wake up earlier than everyone else and take an hour to do some homework before the day starts.

9. Stick to the Schedule

A planner and a calendar will not help you if you can’t stick to a schedule. 

You will still slack behind on your homework if you choose to hang out with your friends or sleep during sessions where you don’t have classes instead of doing homework.

It will also not work if your schedule is not realistic. 

For example, if you’ve scheduled homework time from 5 am to 6 am, but you are not a morning person, that will likely not work. The same applies if you are too tired in the evening and can’t focus on homework.

The best way to stick to a homework schedule is to slot it when you are most productive. If that is before the first class starts, go ahead and put it there. The second period is also a great slot because you are not tired yet, and the first class of the day has already stimulated your brain.

All said and done, though, sticking to a schedule is all about discipline. Train yourself to do things when you say you will do them, even if you don’t feel like it. 

The planner will only work if you follow it.

10. Have a Homework Accountability Team

I don’t know about you, but having a support team comes in handy for me. Find a mastermind group to do everything study-related, including homework. This will make things easier and fun, especially if you throw in some competition.

The secret to making this successful is finding people on the same wavelength as you. 

If your accountability partners couldn’t be bothered to finish their homework on time, they will only pull you behind. Find people who are accountable, responsible, and who can help you with homework as much as you can help them.

The top students in the class are a good place to find these people because they don’t become top by luck. Once you have that, pull your weight and try to teach as much as you learn from them.

Final Thoughts

The last thing in keeping track of your college homework is reviewing your daily planner and calendar. At the end of each day, have a quick look at your planner and see if you ticked off everything you need to do.

If you completed the homework, make sure you put it in your bag or set a reminder to send the digital format first thing in the morning. If there is homework you didn’t manage to do, slot it as number one on your next day list. This will ensure everything is done and on time.

Recommended Reading:

• How To Keep Up With College Assignments (Ultimate Guide)
• Late Assignments – A Complete College Student’s Guide

Emily is an engineer at a Fortune 100 company. Her degree is in Chemical Engineering with minors in Mathematics and Chemistry. She completed 4 internships in college and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2020. She is from Texas and currently lives in Seattle, WA. Emily loves hiking, traveling, and playing guitar. She is a very proud dog mom to her fur baby, Oliver.

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Top College Assignment Planner Apps For Students

Surabhi Guleria

• May 29, 2023
• 11 Min Read

A college assignment planner app is a tool that helps scholars to plan their assignments by breaking and organizing them into manageable tract and furnishing resources and support towards their completion.

When you are trying to choose a good student assignment planner, you must always choose the one that offers maximum features and helps you schedule your work and time.

Some of the top features that these apps must have are:

• Visually clean or information-thick
• Integrated either with other apps or self-contained, with all the features you will need in one place
• Highly customizable
• Specialized for students or transmittable to post-school life

Below are some of the best student planner apps available. All of them are highly rated and the most recommended by students.

Microsoft To Do

Microsoft To-Do is an app especially for the promising freshman in the field of planner apps. One of the best features of the app is that if you have forgotten to check off a task from yesterday, it will stay in the “Yesterday” box.

That way you can specifically choose which details to transfer to ‘My day,’ and plan a better time for those that will not fit in the present-day schedule. It allows users to sort their tasks into introductory lists, such as ‘Work,’ ‘Home,’ or ‘Lab’ and add subtasks on each list. 

Compatible with: Android, iOS, and desktop: Free with Microsoft account

Special features:

• The Dark mode is useful if you’re checking your day before sleep or when you wake up the next day
• You can change the background for each list, with lots of ultramodern and inspiring designs.

Todoist is both an assignment planner and a to-do list. Often used by companies like Amazon and Disney, and made for everyone from students to directors. Todoist is an app you can use at school, university, academy, and further.

They have both free as well as paid versions for their users. The free version offers a lot more than likely to be needed by the students. Todoist also allows you to label tasks.

You can mark by priority, by context (laptop work, library, etc.), or really by any other system you want to create. You can also indicate recreating tasks, like daily or weekly quizzes, so you never miss an assignment. 

Compatible with: Android, iOS, and desktop: Free with paid upgrades available

• Note down important details or tasks
• Organize each class and other recreation activities
• Add ‘next action’ items
• Check details on your list without losing them
• Due dates for individual tasks
• Pop-up reminders or mail
• Every quality is customizable too, so you will not be getting lots of announcements  or notifications without asking for them

Calendly simplifies scheduling with individual persons and groups.

Calendly helps you set up the group as well as one on one meetings with your batch mates or colleagues. Since meetings have become a big part of today’s world, Calendly makes this task easier for you and lets you connect with whoever you want in no time. Students can save time by scheduling and managing those meetings with Calendly.

This working process of Calendly is

• Connect the Calendly app with your digital calendar, like Google Calendar, iCal, Office 365 and others.
• Then create a meeting request.
• Set the parameters. For illustration, you can let recipients view your available period, so that they can choose a day and time, or you can select a day and time and they can further accept it or request a different time.
• Choose recipients and send.

Calendly collects responses from whoever you want to schedule a meeting with and all without the texting thread. It helps in setting up meetings and organizing your time so that you can use your time in a better way.

Compatible with: iOS and desktop: Free with paid upgrades to Premium and Pro

• Round-robin or collective scheduling in the paid interpretations.
• Calendly will showtimes that are favourable to work for everyone, so you can pick if others show up their availability.
• You can set reminders both for yourself and for those who agreed to meet with you.

Power Planner

Power Planner is a very well-known and well-established student planner app with numerous similar features with myHomework and iStudiez, like entering your schedule, keeping track of your GPA, and viewing assignments and examinations.

There are several useful features and elements that are offered to the students that set this app apart from its competitors. The is regularly streamlined to offer the best experience and features to its users.

Compatible with: Android, iOS, and desktop: Free with paid upgrade available

• The GPA calculator is more accurate in this app compared to others.
• It also includes announcements for due dates coming up. 
• The paid version undoubtedly allows you to enter more grades and stores your GPA info from one semester to the next one.

myHomework is a clean and straightforward interpretation of a student planner app. Numerous teachers have formally adopted it for e-learning or online instruction, but it’s great for individual use as well.

It is formatted for several types of class scheduling similar to block, time-based schedules, or periods.

myHomework allows you to input assignments and add tasks needed to complete them as well as allows for prioritizing and grading tasks, so you can concentrate on what is most demanded at any given time. You can get reminders for forthcoming due dates too, so you don’t miss deadlines by accident.

Plan your work or assignment smoothly.

Download the app and plan your every day work in the most hassle-free manner.

FREE OF COST

Compatible with: Android, iOS, and desktop: Free or $4.99 per year for Premium

• While you need an internet connection to sync with other devices, it works fully even if you’re disconnected from a wireless network.
• The free version has plenty of great features, but the paid version lets you get relief from ads as well as share assignments, attach files to assignments and switch out your theme.

Also Read: Top Study Planner Apps for Students

iStudiez is one of the most high-rated planner apps designed just for students. Fill up your class schedule including the professor’s name, contact info, and office hours. Then, you can color decode your classes and use icons to make them visually intriguing and easy to scan.

‘Week view’ allows you to plan out your time and get ready for the forthcoming week. ‘Day view’ shows you tasks and scheduled details for the present. You can add assignments for each class, their due dates, and specific tasks associated with them.

Compatible with: Android, iOS, and desktop: Free with paid Premium upgrade available

• Once you upgrade to iStudiez Pro, you can indeed get a regular update on your GPA. 
• After receiving graded assignments back, enter the grade and point value and iStudiez will do the calculating for you with the GPA tracker.
• It records the information from semester to semester, so you can keep the big picture in mind.

What are the benefits of a student assignment planner?

A student assignment planner is a routine or a guide that students create in order to better organize and communicate.

Students use these planners more likely to keep track of their assignments, set personal goals for students, and enhance communication between students, teachers, and parents. The four effective ways student planners can enhance learning are as follows:

Improves Organization  

 The organization doesn’t come fluently to utmost scholars. It requires constant effort and a great deal of planning; qualities that some pupils need.

Students frequently get frazzled and confused with having to keep up and plan for their numerous classes, assignments, test dates, and so forth. Due to lack of association, scholars’ work or grades frequently suffer. 

Assignment planners give an easy and creative system of taking note of their commitments and deadlines. It gives them a systematized approach to recording the necessary information on a day-to-day basis.

These are also related over the course of time, enabling students to prepare and be ready with their class necessities and activities. 

Tracks Achievements  

Student planners allow them to keep track of their objectives. They can make use of the planner to write down their to-do lists and targets.

As they achieve goals throughout the week, they’re suitable to construct momentum and get inspired to work harder. Ambition setting is a great skill to learn for school as well as in life after it.

Also Read: Track Students Attendance With Excel

Enhances Students’ Responsibilities

Having a planner gives the students the freedom to plan, organize and keep track of their work to the best of their capacities and necessities.

This has a binary benefit in that it increases the student’s responsibility to the commitments as well as provides them with a strategy that contributes to their success. Using these planners, students are suitable to take full responsibility and accountability to complete their work. 

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Promotes communication  .

There’s always a chance for miscommunication to take place when conveying information to parents through students.

The Use of planners helps to overcome this challenge as it serves as an excellent line of communication between scholars, parents, and educators. 

Planners can have a separate section allowing school teacher-parent communication. educators can write regarding pupil performance, dates for school activities, or about academy programs, while parents can use the space to interrogate the pupil or inform the schoolteacher about any problem faced by the student. 

Using student assignment planners can help scholars stay on track and succeed to the best of their capability. 

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It is a user-friendly tally app that can help students in planning their schedules and routines in a more efficient and organized manner.

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A student planner app is very helpful in overcoming deadlines. It also keeps you away from missing deadlines, and you become more productive. Technology is a two-sided coin, but when used properly, it can make lives more convenient and easier. I hope you find this list useful and it helps you choose the right app for you.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best student planner app .

All the apps mentioned above are good, but personally speaking, the best so far is Todoist. This is because the app is very simple to use and it gives you an overview of everything you need to do. To be more precise, the app is limitless.

Why should you use a student assignment planner app?

You should use a student assignment planner app to help you organize all your assignments and school work. Student planner apps can be a great help for students not to miss out on deadlines. 

What should be included in a student assignment planner?

The following things should be included in your student planning: – Regular Time Interval for work homework – Assignment Due Dates – Exam Dates – Seminars or Projects Deadline

What are the other benefits offered by the student planner app apart from notifying deadlines of projects and assignments?

The following are the benefits provided by most of the student planner app: – Seminars Reminder – School or College Event Dates – Time for Physical Activity – Holidays

Can the student planner apps be operated offline?

Yes, most of the student planner apps are designed to be used both offline and online for the convenience of the students.

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10 comments.

I’m a tutor myself. My schedule has just gotten too busy. I would appreciate some advice on how to prepare my lesson plan before class.

Hello Supriya,

The learning objectives for the lesson must be determined before you can begin to plan it. In contrast to what the learner will be exposed to during instruction, a learning aim explains what the learner will know or be able to do following the learning experience.

Estimate how much time you will spend on each learning activity as you plan them.

Finding out if your students are learning is made possible through assessment planning. Students have the chance to demonstrate and practice the knowledge and abilities outlined in the learning objectives through assessments (such as examinations, papers, problem sets, and performances), and instructors have the chance to give specific comments that can direct further learning.

After a lesson, there is an opportunity to reinforce what the students have learned. Instructors and students can both benefit from lesson closure. Hope you find this useful.

Could you please assist me in providing some tips on how to meet multiple deadlines? Thanks in advance.

Hello Manohar,

Here are some helpful hints for juggling many deadlines without becoming exhausted: Make sure you can actually see your workload, whether you write it down on a whiteboard or enter it into an app. You can use this to plan your timetable and break up the work at hand into more manageable chunks.

Organize your time by deciding what is urgent versus what is important, and then decide which projects will demand the most of your time, effort, and resources.

Try dividing up large projects into little chores if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the number of deadlines on your calendar. In this manner, you’ll remain on track to achieve your deadline and feel more driven to complete the task. I hope these suggestions prove useful.

This article is really top-notch. You have literally told us everything. Never stop writing, please. Thank you a lot.

Hello Anushka,

Thank you so much for your warm words. I’m happy this article piqued your interest and provided some useful information. Happy reading!

I work as a teacher. How can assignments be given to students in the best way possible without putting them under pressure?

Hello Rajmohini,

When giving out assignments, teachers need to be especially careful. Students may tune out and refuse to complete their assignments if it is too difficult, or takes too long. Students’ homework assignments ought to build on what they have learned in class. Consider these suggestions on how to assign homework to make sure it is clear and appropriate:

1. Establish a regular homework schedule at the start of the school year, 2. Give the students tasks they can complete, 3. Give homework in small clusters, 4. The assignment should be written on the chalkboard and left there until it is due, 5. Periodically remind pupils of due dates, 6. Work together with other educators to avoid a glut of assignments.

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Your kind words are greatly appreciated. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it as you continue to explore the Lio app.

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5 apps to keep track of homework assignments

The new school year is almost upon us, and there's no time like today to get ready.

Whether you are the student or it's someone else in your family, it's important to keep things organized and on track from day one.

While these apps can be useful for a wide age group, be sure and check with your local school district to ensure you're not breaking any rules by sending your child or teen to school with a smartphone.

1. Evernote Price: Free Download: Evernote for iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad , Android , Window Phone 7 , BlackBerry , Palm Pre / Palm Pixi , Mac , Windows , web .

While it's not an actual planner or calendar app, if you take notes to stay organized, then Evernote is for you. Take photos, copy web pages, save PDF files or just take notes and organize them all into folders. Search for your notes via tags or keywords in the notes themselves. Evernote can even search for words located in pictures you've taken — a pretty cool feature.

You'll never lose another sticky note or forget a reading assignment when you jot it down in Evernote. Just pull up your notes on whatever device you have, wherever you are. Free accounts are allowed up to 60MB of upload (or synchronized) data per month, which can be upgraded for $5 per month or $45 per year.

2. FC Tasks Price : $5.99 Download : FC Tasks for iPhone .

FranklinCovey is one of the best-known names when it comes to pencil and paper (even digital stand-alone) day planners. You would expect this company to have a mobile app to help make our lives more organized, and you would be right.

The FC Tasks app is a great stand-alone mobile product for anyone who's used to using the FranklinCovey system of productivity and time management. You'll see the familiar ABC-123 ranking method for all the task lists, but that's only the beginning. With this app, you can create recurring tasks, create multimedia tasks, delegate tasks via email and more. This is a top-of-the-line app from a top-of-the-line company.

3. Remember the Milk Price: Free to download; requires Remember the Milk Pro for Android and BlackBerry users. Download: Remember the Milk for iPhone / iPad , Android , BlackBerry .

Remember the Milk is a great to-do list service. The basic service is available online and can be integrated with web apps such as Gmail, desktop apps such as Outlook and the mobile app platforms listed above. Set your tasks, prioritize and get email alerts when they are due. It's everything you want in a to-do list.

While the web app is great, taking Remember the Milk on the road is the key to making this app work for you. Browser add-ons and widgets for other apps such as Gmail make this service seamless with other apps that you're already using. Read more in our Remember the Milk review .

4. ToDoMatrix Price : Free Download : ToDoMatrix for iPhone , BlackBerry .

The free version of the ToDoMatrix app is limited to six folders and 30 tasks, which is probably enough for you if you're a casual user. If you're looking for something more than just a homework tracking app, you'll want to look at in-app upgrades to remove these limits.

What started as a productivity app designed for business-minded BlackBerry users has made the transition to mainstream with the debut of its iOS app. Organize tasks, set flexible reminders, delegate and view just what you want with multiple display options. Your data is encrypted and backed up wirelessly to the cloud. If you're a BlackBerry user, you probably already know about this one; if not, it's definitely worth checking out the free version to see if it meets your needs.

5. Google Calendar Price : Free Download : Google Calendar for web , iPhone Sync , Windows Mobile Sync , BlackBerry Sync .

We've saved the best for last, despite the non-app status of this service. We think you'll agree once you see how seamlessly this free service from Google integrates with literally all of your devices. Start out on the web app and set up your calendars. From there, you can sync your calendar to all of the major mobile operating systems out there.

Google Calendar doesn't miss a beat with Google's own Android OS , as would be expected. Once you set up your Android device, it's an automatic sync with the Google apps on your mobile device. If you're on another operating system, syncing the built-in calendars on these mobile devices to your Google Calendar account is simple. There are few limitations, flexible reminders, multiple calendars, share features and more.

Getting your time back It takes a little practice to see which planner or homework tracking app is going to work best for you. Don't wait until the last minute. Start now, before school kicks off, and try them all (or at least the free ones). Once you've settled on which app design works for you, don't look back. There's no point in second guessing your choice, and once school starts, you will want to feel confident in your ability to use your app to organize your time so you don't miss any important deadlines.

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I Tried 4 To-Do List Methods. Here’s What Worked.

• Kelsey Alpaio

…and what didn’t.

There are a lot of methods out there for staying organized. But which method prevails? Over four days, I tried four ways of organizing my to-do list. I tracked my overall productivity and stress levels to see which worked best.

• Monday: Get rid of your to-do list and instead schedule out your tasks in your digital calendar. This method is good for people who like structure, aren’t afraid of a crowded calendar, and love planning ahead.
• Tuesday: Keep a running list but do just “one thing” on it. This method is good for daydreamers, multitaskers, and people who are easily distracted.
• Wednesday: Use a digital task manager. This method is good for techies and people who have A LOT of tasks to organize, or are working on a variety of projects.
• Thursday: Make three lists, one for immediate tasks, one for future tasks, and one for tasks you’re never going to get done. This method is good for self-motivated people with competing priorities who love crossing the easy items off their list (a little too much), and don’t need much support to stay focused.

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Keep track of assignments in Schoolwork

An easy way to keep track of your preferred or most-used assignments is to favorite them or pin them; allowing you to quickly access the assignments at a later time. To help you find assignments, you can search by assignment title, app activity, file name, or student name.

Favorite an assignment

Do one of the following:

Touch and hold the assignment you want to favorite, then tap Favorite.

When you favorite an assignment, the assignment appears in Library > Favorites in the Schoolwork sidebar.

Note: It’s easy to remove an assignment from Favorites — just touch and hold a favorite assignment, then tap Remove from Favorites.

Pin an assignment

Touch and hold the assignment you want to pin, then tap Pin.

When you pin an assignment, the assignment always appears at the top of views.

Note: It’s easy to remove a pin from an assignment — just touch and hold a pinned assignment, then tap Unpin.

Search for an assignment

In the search field at the top, enter an app activity, assignment title, file name, or student name.

Tap Assignments, then tap the assignment you want to open.

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Teaching Students to Manage Their Digital Assignments

Predictable routines can teach students how to use organizational tools and help them develop their executive function skills.

You just wrapped up an invigorating conversation with your 10th-grade students. They contributed brilliant ideas, and you’re looking forward to reading the written reflections you assigned for homework. But when you log into Google Classroom the next day to grade their work, you find that nearly half of your students didn’t submit the assignment. Only two-thirds of them even opened the document.

Sound familiar? 

So many students who are engaged in real-world learning activities struggle to complete assignments in the digital world. Digital work is often out of sight and out of mind the moment they leave our classrooms. It can cause teachers and parents to wonder if being organized is even possible in our tech-focused society. 

1-to-1 Devices are Permanent Fixtures in Today’s Classroom 

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic pushed most schools into a virtual teaching model, students spent much of their instructional time on a device. A 2019 study out of Arlington Public Schools found that middle school students spent 47 percent of their time and high school students spent 68 percent of their time on a device. Findings from the study suggest that devices are frequently used for “reference and research, presentations and projects, and feedback and assessment.” 

By the return to in-person learning, 90 percent of students had access to a one-to-one device for school, and it’s evident that technology in the classroom (and workplace) is here to stay.  

Teaching Digital Organization Skills is Key

Although they have access to a myriad of digital organization tools ( myHomework , Evernote , Google Keep , and Coggle , to name a few), students may still struggle to organize their assignments and complete them from start to submission. We often assume that students can transfer organizational skills from the real world to the digital world, and we often ask them to quickly and seamlessly transition from hard-copy work (reading a chapter in a novel, completing a science experiment) to digital work, such as writing a reflection in Google Docs and submitting it to a learning management system (LMS). 

Digital files are perceivable to the human brain, but they aren’t tangible in the same way that binders, notebooks, and folders are. And while an LMS may aid students’ access to information, it doesn’t do the heavy lifting of organizing information and prioritizing tasks. These actions are highly demanding cognitive skills that students can be taught and practice in the digital world—even if students have already perfected them in the analog world. 

Teachers can prioritize strategic, direct instruction of organizational and other executive functioning skills for a tech-focused world. 

Streamline Your Classroom Resources 

The first step in helping students organize digital work is to organize your classroom resources on the back end. In coordination with your department, grade level, or district, choose one LMS and three to four instructional resources, and stick with them for the entire year. For example, you could select Google Classroom as your LMS and use PearDeck, Google Calendar, and EdPuzzle as instructional resources. 

Though it’s tempting to adopt new and exciting technology as it evolves, a revolving door of programs is difficult for students to juggle and can lead to app fatigue. 

Teachers can further streamline their classroom resources by color-coding folders and files in their chosen LMS, posting log-in directions in easily accessible locations, and offering a landing page in their LMS that holds all of the links to digital resources. 

Create Predictable Routines Around Digital Work 

Next, it’s important for teachers to create clear and predictable routines around organizing digital assignments.   

One routine that I’ve developed in my classroom is a living table of contents document. I create and print out a blank table of contents for each unit, and students house them in their binders. I then project the table of contents at the start of each class with the day’s newest assignments, and students fill in these new items on their hard copies when they settle in. Each assignment is numbered, and assignments located online that won’t appear in their binders are labeled with an “S” (for us, that stands for Schoology) to note that the assignment is in our LMS.

Another predictable routine is entering homework assignments into Google Calendar or agenda books together at the end of every class. Prompting students to write down their homework may seem elementary, but even older students appreciate the predictability and consistency of this routine because it reduces anxiety (rushing to write it down before the teacher moves on) and frees up brain space for critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving.

If you’re not sure that your current routine is clear and predictable, consider whether or not students could replicate your system in your absence. If students can’t get through the routine on their own, your routine may need to be articulated more clearly (such as being posted somewhere in the classroom), or it may need to be implemented more consistently.

Model a Variety of Organizational Strategies 

Similar to the process of how academic skills are acquired, teachers can model organizational skills for students. Consider creating opportunities to demonstrate strategies such as how and where to save documents, how to sync information across devices, how to share calendar events with peers and parents, and how to plan for long-term projects. 

You can also help students get more comfortable with organizational strategies by sharing “think-alouds” for task initiation, task prioritization, and time management. Consider using common language for reminding and prompting. For example, at the start of every new assignment, you could say something like, “Now that I’m ready to start, I’m going to open up Schoology, Google, and a Word document and close out of other tabs.”

Because executive functioning skills are not innate, providing language for them allows students to identify them, replicate them, and use tools to do them more quickly. Prioritizing these skills can improve student outcomes and prepare students for an increasingly tech-focused world.

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Your To Do List and Beyond: 8 Powerful Ways to Manage Your Tasks

There are so many things you need to do, and so many ways you could keep track of them. Search the App Store for "to do list," and you'll find thousands of tools that all promise to help you increase your productivity and get more done.

An app is only the start. There are also the various methods of keeping track of your to dos, each with their strong points and some so complicated there are entire books about them. It can be so tough to find the right method and app for you, it's often easier to just give up and try to juggle all of your tasks in your head.

It doesn't have to be that way. In this article, we'll take you through the most popular task management methods so you can pick out the perfect way to manage the things you need to do. Then, in a related article, we'll show you the best apps for each of those methods. That'll give you the tools you need to stay productive this year and beyond.

Choosing the Right Task Management Method

When it comes to task management, there's no one-size-fits-all option. Just as some people learn better visually while others learn far better audibly, there are task management methods that'll fit you perfectly—and others that'll never work for you no matter how hard you try.

In this article, you'll receive an overview along with the pros and cons of each of the following task management methods:

The "Grocery List" Method

The "Grocery List" method, or just organizing tasks in simple lists, is by far the most popular task management method. It's the way you'll likely organize tasks without even thinking about it. It puts all tasks and their respective due dates front-and-center with no fluff. There are dozens of apps that use this method of organizing your tasks, and their straightforward lists make the apps look and feel very similar to a grocery list you'd make when heading to the store.

These simple apps are great for people like myself that get a rush from finally checking tasks off of a list and moving onto the next task. When using a grocery list style app, there are no small details to check off, so you're left with the big picture for all of your tasks.

Grocery List apps often have some essential organization features to go along with the bare tasks. For instance, most have the ability to set a due date and some can set reminders for tasks using a device's location.

That being said, Grocery List-style apps may not be practical for everyone. If you need to manage small tasks within larger tasks or like being able to track the progress of a task or project, Grocery List methods aren't for you. Don't fret though, because there are plenty of other task management strategies for you.

The Grocery List Method Pros and Cons

Pros: Grocery List- esque applications are generally simple enough that they require little setup and are easy to use.

Cons: Not as great at tracking small details or handling large projects.

Getting Things Done®

Getting Things Done ® and GTD ® are registered trademarks of the David Allen Company.

For example, when working on an article, I can use a powerful list-based task management app to make a new project for the article and then add tasks for sections of an article, reminders to proofread, and make a list of all additional resources required to complete the article. At the same time, I can have projects for my home tasks, other ongoing projects at work, and more.

Most standard GTD apps have note taking and file-drop capabilities. This is very useful when starting a project, as you can attach all of your ideas and related files to the task, ensuring you won't forget any small details and giving you a one-stop-shop for your task's resources.

Some GTD applications also have built-in calendars that show your tasks and projects with their respective due dates. This can be an absolute godsend when juggling multiple projects for different clients with separate due dates. You'll also usually be able to keep up with notes and files related to your tasks in the apps.

The basic idea with GTD is that you can get everything out of your head and into your to do list app, organized in lists of related tasks with each task tagged (or categorized) according to the place or context in which you’ll do the task, and with any data related to that task attached as a note. It’s a lot of stuff in each tasks to make sure you won’t have to juggle anything in your head and can focus on what you’re doing.

Getting Things Done Pros and Cons

Pros: GTD applications can track every step of a task and often have other interesting features.

Cons: These applications can be confusing to set up and too cluttered for some.

The Text Editor Method

Using text editors for task management has been around for quite some time. In fact, the 'emacs' app in Terminal has its own text-based task management command. Text editors give you the freedom to manage tasks how you'd like and be free of the visual distractions of a Grocery List app.

If you already have a preferred text editor, there's no need to download another task management app: Just use what you already know. On top of this, the text file you use to manage your tasks is universal, so you can switch devices and platforms without disrupting your workflow.

Today.txt is even simpler than Todo.txt: it's a three line paragraph stressing one task. The text file starts with "If nothing else, today I am going to __ ." and ends with "If I do this and only this, it will be a good day." This makes the method more motivation than anything else, but it a good way to keep yourself focused when feeling distracted.

Either method—or your own personal method of organizing stuff you need to do in a text editor—could work equally well. And, if you already have a to do list app you like but want a way to keep yourself focused on what needs done today , Today.txt could be a good addition to your workflow.

The Text Editor Method Pros and Cons

Pros: Using a text editor is a simple and free way to manage your tasks. You can set up your workflow however you'd like, using programs you're familiar with.

Cons: Plain text lists can often be too barebones for some and require some setup and management to keep organized.

The Kanban Method

Take pen-and-paper to do management a step further with Kanban productivity. This method, in its purest form, takes Post-It notes, a cork board, and labels, and organizes tasks by progression. To start with Kanban, split your cork board into three sections: to do, doing, and done. Write tasks on color-coded Post-It notes and stick them in their respective step of progression. As your tasks progress, move them to their new spots on the cork board to track them. You can color-code tasks by client, project, or any other differentiator, and can add as much or little detail to each task as you want.

The Kanban Method Pros and Cons

Pros: The big picture is always in front of you and your team.

Cons: Small details can be left out, which may cause information overload for some.

The Rows, Columns n' Sheets Method

Spreadsheets are often overlooked when it comes to task management, especially in the mobile space. But they can be as powerful of a tool for task management as you let them be. Due to spreadsheets' flexibility, they're an especially great way to manage a ton of projects and tasks.

When using a spreadsheet, you can make different sheets for different types of tasks. For example, one sheet can be for work tasks and another for home errands, each with columns to keep track of data that makes sense for each. Tasks can be placed in individual rows, and cells can be color-coded to represent their importance or other key parts of a task.

If you're working in a team, you can use Google Sheet to make a no-frills group task management system. Just make a new shared Sheet, add your team members, and create color-coded cells to assign tasks. And since Google Sheets has a built-in chat client, it's easy to collaborate with team members.

The Rows, Columns n' Sheets Method Pros and Cons

Pros: You can use familiar tools to create a versatile environment for your tasks.

Cons: Like text-based applications, using spreadsheets for task management can be too basic for some. On top of this, using spreadsheets aren't the prettiest way to manage tasks.

Team-Based Productivity

To do apps aren't just for managing your own tasks. When you're working with your team, you need a way to keep up with what everyone's working on and what's left to finish your team projects.

Enter team-based productivity apps.

Team-based productivity apps are often list-based applications that let everyone have their own accounts. They're also usually web apps that'll run in any browser, with mobile apps to work on the go. Team members can add and edit tasks as well as discuss tasks within a comment thread or IM-like service, making collaborating and group task management far simpler.

Many team-based applications have features similar to that of the aforementioned GTD method. Beyond setting due dates, tasks can often have sub-tasks and the larger projects can be organized in their own boards or lists to keep everything organized for each of your different projects or clients. Most will even let you add files to tasks, so you can keep everything needed to complete the task in one spot.

Team-Based Productivity Pros and Cons

Pros: Team-based apps are generally cross-platform and are great for keeping teams on track and encourage collaboration. Additionally, they can be used for personal work if needed.

Cons: These applications can be time consuming to set up and expensive for a full team.

Good Ol' Pen and Paper

I'm sure you didn't expect to see this mentioned alongside methods of managing tasks with apps, but sometimes it's best to use pen and paper for task management—especially if you have a problem with checking Twitter instead of staying on task. When using a notebook to manage tasks, you're completely disconnected from the internet and its distractions, keeping you on track.

Pen and Paper Pros and Cons

Pros: Paper notes are distraction-free and require no connectivity.

Cons: Not as versatile as other methods in this list, and can be tough to back up.

The String-Around-The-Finger Method

Even though a notification on your phone can be a great reminder to complete a task, nothing jogs your memory like a change in something you use everyday. A classic example of this is tying a string around your finger. Or if you prefer a modern take on the method, wrap a rubberband around your phone.

The basic idea is: Put something in your way when you're thinking of something you need to do. Then, the next time you notice that thing—string, rubberband or whatever—your mind will be jogged to remember the task.

Getting a bit more technical with this idea, rearranging app icons or changing your phone's wallpaper are other good ways to jog your memory. If you're using this method on the desktop, you can set special photos or text as your screensaver or my personal favorite: putting a Post-It note in the center of my laptop's screen. Either way, doing something that's out of the ordinary can be a great way to make sure you remember what you need to do.

The String-Around-The-Finger Method and Cons

Pros: The simplest possible way to remind yourself to do something.

Cons: You might end up forgetting why you tied the string in the first place, and it works only well for single, one-off tasks.

Picking the Best Method for You

Like various learning methods, different task management strategies place focus in different areas. For example, the "Grocery List" method of task management places all crucial information upfront, while leaving many small details out of the picture. That's a great option if you just want a simple way to keep track of what needs done now .

But, if you're a more detail-oriented person, using a powerful task management will be more your speed. You'll be able to keep track of every tiny detail, manage multiple projects, and much more, all from one app. You can plan your whole life here, not just the stuff you're doing today.

Both the simple Grocery List apps and more advanced Getting Things Done apps, though, often have fancier interfaces, and they force you to work the way they're designed. If you're the kind that likes your tools to be deeply customizable or if the fancy interfaces of both of these methods throw you off, managing tasks in a text editor or spreadsheet may be best.

Working together? Give the team task management apps—or even a shared spreadsheet—a shot. Or if you'd rather a low-tech solution, mix everything up and write team tasks on a whiteboard.

There's no perfect way to manage your tasks, and you might even need more than one method to keep up with everything you're doing. Just experiment with your own variant of any of these methods, and start getting your tasks organized.

Go Get Things Done

If you're planning on using an app to manage your tasks, there are dozens of to do list apps that could work for you. But which one is the best for your needs? Here are our recommendations:

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Andrew Kunesh

Andrew is a freelance writer and user experience nerd from Chicago, IL. In his free time, you’ll find Andrew trotting the globe in search of the perfect cup of coffee. Follow @andrewkunesh on Twitter.

• Personal productivity
• Project management
• Task management & to-do lists
• Product management

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Assignment Tracker Template For Students (Google Sheets)

• 6-minute read
• 18th May 2023

If you’re a student searching for a way to keep your assignments organized, congratulate yourself for taking the time to set yourself up for success. Tracking your assignments is one of the most important steps you can take to help you stay on top of your schoolwork .

In this Writing Tips blog post, we’ll discuss why keeping an inventory of your assignments is important, go over a few popular ways to do so, and introduce you to our student assignment tracker, which is free for you to use.

Why Tracking Is Important

Keeping your assignments organized is essential for many reasons. First off, tracking your assignments enables you to keep abreast of deadlines. In addition to risking late submission penalties that may result in low grades, meeting deadlines can help develop your work ethic and increase productivity. Staying ahead of your deadlines also helps lower stress levels and promote a healthy study-life balance.

Second, keeping track of your assignments assists with time management by helping prioritize the order you complete your projects.

Third, keeping a list of your completed projects can help you stay motivated by recording your progress and seeing how far you’ve come.

Different Ways to Organize Your Assignments

There are many ways to organize your assignment, each with its pros and cons. Here are a few tried and true methods:

• Sticky notes

Whether they are online or in real life , sticky notes are one of the most popular ways to bring attention to an important reminder. Sticky notes are a quick, easy, and effective tool to highlight time-sensitive reminders. However, they work best when used temporarily and sparingly and, therefore, are likely better used for the occasional can’t-miss deadline rather than for comprehensive assignment organization.

• Phone calendar reminders  

The use of cell phone calendar reminders is also a useful approach to alert you to an upcoming deadline. An advantage to this method is that reminders on your mobile device have a good chance of grabbing your attention no matter what activity you’re involved with.

On the downside, depending on how many assignments you’re juggling, too many notifications might be overwhelming and there won’t be as much space to log the details of the assignment (e.g., related textbook pages, length requirements) as you would have in a dedicated assignment tracking system.

• Planners/apps

There are a multitude of physical planners and organization apps for students to help manage assignments and deadlines. Although some vow that physical planners reign superior and even increase focus and concentration , there is almost always a financial cost involved and the added necessity to carry around a sometimes weighty object (as well as remembering to bring it along with you).

Mobile organization apps come with a variety of features, including notifications sent to your phone, but may also require a financial investment (at least for the premium features) and generally will not provide substantial space to add details about your assignments.

• Spreadsheets

With spreadsheets, what you lose in bells and whistles, you gain in straightforwardness and customizability – and they’re often free! Spreadsheets are easy to access from your laptop or phone and can provide you with enough space to include whatever information you need to complete your assignments.

There are templates available online for several different spreadsheet programs, or you can use our student assignment tracker for Google Sheets . We’ll show you how to use it in the next section.

How to Use Our Free Writing Tips Student Assignment Tracker

Follow this step-by-step guide to use our student assignment tracker for Google Sheets :

• Click on this link to the student assignment tracker . After the prompt “Would you like to make a copy of Assignment Tracker Template ?”, click Make a copy .

Screenshot of the “Copy document” screen

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2. The first tab in the spreadsheet will display several premade assignment trackers for individual subjects with the name of the subject in the header (e.g., Subject 1, Subject 2). In each header, fill in the title of the subjects you would like to track assignments for. Copy and paste additional assignment tracker boxes for any other subjects you’d like to track, and color code the labels.

Screenshot of the blank assignment template

3. Under each subject header, there are columns labeled for each assignment (e.g., Assignment A, Assignment B). Fill in the title of each of your assignments in one of these columns, and add additional columns if need be. Directly under the assignment title is a cell for you to fill in the due date for the assignment. Below the due date, fill in each task that needs to be accomplished to complete the assignment. In the final row of the tracker, you should select whether the status of your assignment is Not Started , In Progress , or Complete . Please see the example of a template that has been filled in (which is also available for viewing in the Example tab of the spreadsheet):

Example of completed assignment tracker

4. Finally, for an overview of all the assignments you have for each subject throughout the semester, fill out the assignment tracker in the Study Schedule tab. In this tracker, list the title of the assignment for each subject under the Assignment column, and then color code the weeks you plan to be working on each one. Add any additional columns or rows that you need. This overview is particularly helpful for time management throughout the semester.

There you have it.

To help you take full advantage of this student assignment tracker let’s recap the steps:

1. Make a copy of the student assignment tracker .

2. Fill in the title of the subjects you would like to track assignments for in each header row in the Assignments tab.

3. Fill in the title of each of your assignments and all the required tasks underneath each assignment. 

4. List the title of the assignment for each subject and color code the week that the assignment is due in the Study Schedule .

Now that your assignments are organized, you can rest easy . Happy studying! And remember, if you need help from a subject-matter expert to proofread your work before submission, we’ll happily proofread it for free .

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How students’ GenAI skills and reflection affect assignment instructions

The ability to use generative AI is akin to time management or other learning skills that students need practice to master. Here, Vincent Spezzo and Ilya Gokhman offer tips to make sure instructions land equally no matter students’ level of AI experience

Vincent Spezzo

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November 2022: ChatGPT rapidly emerges as the next big disruptor in higher education. On campuses across the US, the primary feelings are scepticism and fear of cheating, but pushing past that is the notion that this technology could be harnessed to benefit education.

Spring 2023: At Georgia Institute of Technology, our conversations and workshops on generative AI (GenAI) focus on how faculty can use it in course design, assignment creation, personalised learning efforts and more. Fear and scepticism still exist but don’t obstruct brainstorming efforts. In the summer, we see instructors’ responses range from dipping toes into the AI water and using it to create rubrics, case studies and other standard course content to diving in headfirst and using GenAI to produce entire courses.

Fall 2023: Many employers of future graduates want students to gain knowledge and experience using GenAI tools while in their degree programmes. Thinking shifts from students wanting to use GenAI to cheat to students needing to learn about GenAI to succeed. The professors at our institution are beginning to embrace the idea that they should support the correct usage of GenAI in their classrooms. 

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Here lies the challenge: how much direction should you include in GenAI-inclusive assignments? Previously, instructors had to balance assignment guidelines with student creativity, so students could create a unique submission while remaining within the assignment objectives. Now the additional task is finding the right amount of guidance to ensure students can effectively use GenAI beyond simply copying and pasting predefined prompts.

Creating GenAI assignments

How to create assignments using GenAI is one of the questions that co-authors Ilya Gokhman and Vincent Spezzo have addressed. Students in Gokhman’s public policy course worked in groups of four to complete project-based tasks and provide peer feedback to their team members at four points during the semester. The idea was to have students use GenAI as a leadership and collaboration coach to help them process and reflect on peer feedback. GenAI was used in three of the four feedback phases (students completed the first reflection unassisted). For the remaining phases, students were: 1) instructed to use GenAI with no further guidance, 2) given detailed instructions on how to use GenAI, including suggested prompts, and 3) instructed to use GenAI how they wanted, whether that was to use the instructors suggested prompts or their own. 

Students divided on using GenAI

Students were surveyed on a six-point Likert scale to determine their experience using GenAI in their assignments and how it impacted their learning (see list below). This included a self-rating on their prior experience using GenAI that included options of “a lot”, “some”, “little” and “none”.  From the 72 participants, several novel insights were gleaned. The most significant finding was a clear division in students’ experiences using GenAI for assignments between the two groups at opposite ends of the prior-usage spectrum. Those students who had the most prior experience rated several items significantly higher than those who came into the class never having used GenAI before. This was true despite very detailed instructions and prompt examples being added to the third and fourth assignments. 

• I would rather use GenAI than complete feedback review with another person: A lot M=4.7, None M=2.78 
• I felt using GenAI helped me in learning the course material: A lot M=4.8, None M=3.06 
• I felt using GenAI increased my motivation to complete assignments: A lot M=4.8, None M=2.83
• Overall, I felt using GenAI had a positive impact on my course experience: A lot M=5.4, None M=3.89

Two things worth noting are: 1) while students with more experience rated items significantly higher, students with no prior experience generally still rated items around a three on the six-point scale, and 2) students who fell into the two middle groupings were not shown to be significantly different from the two extremes on almost all questions. 

Students also responded to open-ended questions, with 30 per cent stating that the assignments could be improved by more frequent GenAI usage, 25 per cent commented that GenAI was useful in generating ideas and expanding their perspectives, and 20 per cent indicated a desire for more detailed instructions on using GenAI for the assignment. 

Addressing students’ differences in experience using GenAI 

Results pointed to a difference in instructional needs between students with no GenAI experience and those with a lot of experience. One could mistakenly assume the number of students with little or no experience will decrease as use of these technologies becomes more widespread. However, the ability to use GenAI is likely more akin to time management, studying and a host of other learning skills that students need support and practice with before mastering. Coupling this with the  current lack of adoption at K-12 , it is very likely that inequity with prior usage of GenAI will exist for some time. Two actionable practices that can address this inequality:

• Include more detailed instruction and prompt examples for assignments. While not all students need this, at least 20 per cent of the students surveyed indicated they wanted even more direction than was provided, and there was no indication that the additional instructions negatively impacted students with prior experience. Part of an equitable framework is to ensure that those who need the additional support have it available, so including optional additional guidelines may be the way to go with GenAI assignments for now.
• Create and include a lesson or optional module for teaching students how to use GenAI effectively within your course or discipline. From this study, it seems that simply including more examples and instructions was not enough for some students. To address the gap of experience, students seem to need support and exposure to the basics of using GenAI that goes beyond creating good prompts. There is already discussion of including such experiences in freshmen seminar courses, but until then it will be up to instructors to help bridge the gap for students who have yet to learn how to use GenAI in ways that will benefit their education. 

By using these practices, the intent is that students coming into a course with little or no prior GenAI experience can be brought up to speed and benefit at near the same level as those who have had a lot of experience using the tools. Conducting a start-of-semester survey is a good way to identify students who need additional resources and ensure they are directed to access them. While this means yet another task for instructors, the benefits to student learning and the expectations of future employers make this worth taking on.

Vincent Spezzo is assistant director of teaching and learning online in the Center for Teaching and Learning, and Ilya Gokhman is faculty lead for grand challenges in the Office of Leadership Education and Development, both at Georgia Institute of Technology.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week,  sign up for the Campus newsletter .

Rather than restrict the use of AI, embrace the challenge

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2024 Preakness Stakes post positions, odds, entries, field, lineup, horses, start time, complete guide

The second leg of the triple crown got a little more interesting when the favorite was forced to withdraw.

With the Kentucky Derby now in the books, all the attention in horse racing turns to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland for the 149th running of the Preakness Stakes. Dubbed the "People's jewel" of thoroughbred racing, this event typically separates the contenders from the pretenders when it comes to the Triple Crown. Mystik Dan has the chance to make history after winning at Churchill Downs earlier this month and heads into the eight-horse field on Saturday as the favorite.

There will be one notable name absent from the starting gates as Muth was scratched early in the week. The morning-line favorite, trained by Bob Baffert, was pulled from the race after suffering a spike in temperature upon arrival to Pimlico. Now, it could be any one's race to win given the smaller field.

Trainer Ken McPeek remains confident in Mystik Dan ahead of the second straight massive race in just three weeks.

Baffert is no stranger to the winner's circle at Pimlico. National Treasure, another horse trained by the prolific trainer, won the 2023 Preakness Stakes at 4-1 odds. In fact, Baffert has won the Preakness Stakes more than any other trainer in the race's storied history.

Catching Freedom, the fourth-place finisher at the Kentucky Derby is also among the favorites with 7/2 odds. Rounding out the top of the field is Tuscan Gold (9/2), trained by Chad Brown, who has been to the winner's circle at Pimlico twice in his career already.

Here is how you can watch the action on Saturday evening along with the post draw and latest odds on the race. Stay tuned to this page for any news or developments ahead of post time.

How to watch the 2024 Preakness Stakes

Date:  Saturday, May 18 Post time:  7:01 p.m. ET Location:  Pimlico Race Course -- Baltimore, Maryland  TV:  NBC |  Stream:   fubo  (try for free)

2024 Preakness Stakes post positions

• Mugatu (20-1)
• Uncle Heavy (20-1)
• Catching Freedom (6-1)
• Muth (8-5)*
• Mystik Dan (5/2)
• Seize the Grey (15-1)
• Just Steel (15-1)
• Tuscan Gold (8-1)
• Imagination (6-1)

Muth was scratched from the race on Wednesday

2024 Preakness Stakes odds (sorted)

• Mystik Dan 5/2
• Imagination 6-1
• Catching Freedom 6-1
• Tuscan Gold 8-1
• Seize the Grey 15-1
• Just Steel 15-1
• Mugatu 20-1
• Uncle Heavy 20-1

So who wins the 2024 Preakness Stakes? Where does Mystik Dan finish? And how has Yu constructed her wagers?  Visit SportsLine to see Yu's picks for the Preakness Stakes , all from the Santa Anita Park-based racing insider who has hit the exacta in the Preakness Stakes the last two years, and find out. 

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9 Sales KPIs Every Sales Team Should Be Tracking

More sales data isn't always better. You need a clear focus on metrics that matter. Here are 9 critical sales KPIs to drive confident decisions and grow revenue.

Jeffrey Steen

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Ever been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of sales data you’re tracking — and confused by the metrics that matter? You’re not the only one. Research firm  McKinsey  highlighted this as a troubling trend: Too much data and no focus has made it difficult for sales leaders to reach clear “aha” moments that drive confident decisions and sustainable growth.

Fortunately, there’s a clear path forward. To ensure you’re maximizing the ROI of tools, teams, and customer relationships, zero in on sales key performance indicators (KPIs) that make the most of what you have while delivering recurring revenue: a combination of tried-and-true targets, like lead conversion rate, and those that measure long-term value, like customer and employee retention.

Below, we give you everything you need to know about sales KPIs that ensure a healthy, productive, and growing business.

What you’ll learn:

What are kpis in sales, why are sales kpis so important, what are sales metrics vs. sales kpis, what are the most important sales kpis, how do you track sales kpis, what sales kpi dashboards should you use, hit key kpis with real-time pipeline insights.

What could you do with relevant insights at your fingertips? Sell smarter, take action, and hit your forecasts. That’s how Sales Analytics works.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) in sales are the metrics used to measure how closely the performance of a sales team tracks to predetermined goals and how this performance impacts the business as a whole. This includes metrics like average leads generated per quarter and deal conversion rate.

Instead of different reps focusing on different metrics — or leaders eyeing a definition of success that sales reps aren’t thinking about — KPIs keep everyone aligned on the metrics that contribute to company growth. It’s important to note that KPIs themselves are not sales targets , but metrics that gauge activity with significant business impact. Sales leaders define target KPIs to ensure teams are tracking to specific revenue goals.

Here’s an example: Joy’s Toys, a toy manufacturer, is focused on growth but doesn’t have a clear target KPI for lead generation that incentivizes reps to keep their  pipelines full . Fast-forward a quarter or two and its revenue is “stop-and-go” with reps scrambling to find new opportunities after periods of focusing only on closing deals already in the pipeline. As a result, company growth stalls.

Competitor Saul’s Dolls, on the other hand, has mapped out a clear path to revenue growth that includes target KPIs for lead generation, quota attainment, and customer retention. These are shared with every rep so they can prioritize their time and efforts on prospecting, nurturing , and closing deals with new customers while  upselling existing customers — and no critical sales effort is ignored. With this focus, Saul’s Dolls is more likely to hit or surpass its revenue goals.

Your sales KPIs have a close relationship with your sales and business goals. For example, if the overarching business goal is 1,200 sales in a year, the KPI might be 100 sales each month. (100 sales per month x 12 months = 1,200 sales)

Sales metrics are any quantifiable measure of sales performance. This could look like the number of activities completed by sales reps, the number of leads in the sales pipeline, or anything else sales-related that can be measured. The key difference is that your sales metrics don’t necessarily have to connect with these broader goals.

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Historically, sales KPIs have focused on things like new leads in the pipeline, number of  closed deals  per quarter, and individual quotas. These are still important, but they often hinge on unpredictable one-off sales. To ensure your company is generating long-term, predictable revenue and maximizing ROI, it’s important to track both foundational sales KPIs and those that gauge the lifetime value of customer and employee relationships.

Here’s a closer look at the most critical sales KPIs:

1. Annual contract value (ACV)

What it measures: The average sales amount of a customer contract over the course of a year.

Why it’s important:   ACV  helps sales reps and managers identify opportunities for upselling and  cross-selling  that increase customer contract value and, ultimately, company revenue. If upselling or cross-selling are not possible (due to product portfolio, pricing structures, etc.), a low ACV may indicate a need for new customers that can drive revenue growth.

How to calculate: (Total sales value of contracts in a year) / (number of contracts) = Average ACV

2. Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What it measures: The value of all purchases, including upsells, cross-sells, and renewals, that a customer makes over the course of their relationship with your company.

Why it’s important:   CLV  is a clear indicator of how successfully your team is building the kind of trusting, value-first, and loyal customer relationships that lead to upsells, cross-sells, and renewals, and, as a result, predictable revenue. If your CLV is on the lower end, then try going over the call transcripts from your best customers. Use AI to generate call summaries that identify what moved the deal forward, then use these same tactics in future deals.

How to calculate: (Average purchase value per year) x (average number of purchases per year for each customer) x (average customer lifespan in years) = Customer lifetime value

3. New leads in pipeline

What it measures: The number of new leads added to each rep’s pipeline during a single quarter.

Why it’s important: Based on your conversion rates (four deals closed for every seven leads, for example), you will likely need a specific number of leads to hit sales targets. If reps’ lead count falls below your target KPI, it can be a sign that you need to spend more time on prospecting . A popular way to engage with more prospects is to up your presence on LinkedIn. Follow potential prospects, interact with them by liking and commenting on their posts, and then send a connection request.

4. Average age of leads in pipeline

What it measures: How long leads remain in the pipeline without becoming a closed deal. Usually calculated per rep.

Why it’s important: Reps know a full pipeline is a healthy one — but only if leads are actively moving toward a sale. Stalled deals are a drain on rep time that could be spent moving more viable deals down the pipeline. If you see a trend in stale leads for a particular rep, consider examining their pipeline and remove leads unlikely to close. AI insights help to quickly identify the stallers in real time so you’re not spending hours scanning through your pipeline and analyzing the data.

How to calculate: (Total age of all active leads per reps) / (Number of active leads) = Average age of leads in pipeline

Reps fall in love with deals, even if they’re stagnant. When I think about pipeline aging, if it’s stale — it’s trouble. Larry Long, Jr.

5. Conversion rate

What it measures: Also known as win rate, this is the percentage of each rep’s leads that are converted to closed deals. Usually tracked by quarter, per rep.

Why it’s important: If a single rep’s conversion rate is higher than the target conversion rate, that rep may be using sales strategies or processes that are particularly effective and can be operationalized for the entire sales team. If lower, you might need to fine-tune or streamline sales tactics to increase conversions.  Call recording and analysis  tools, alongside regular one-on-one  coaching , can help.

How to calculate: (Number of deals closed during a quarter) / (number of leads in the pipeline) x 100 = Conversion rate

6. Rep retention

What it measures: Percentage of reps who remain in your organization a set period of time after hire. Typically measured yearly.

Why it’s important: A low rep retention rate can disrupt carefully nurtured customer relationships, which can result in lost upsells/cross-sells — or just lost customers. It can also mean more money spent onboarding reps hired to replace those who leave. When rep retention is high, customer relationships remain intact and team stability is maintained.

How to calculate: (Number of total reps at the end of the year – new reps hired during the year)/(total number of reps at the start of the year) x 100 = Rep retention

7. Average rep ramp time

What it measures: The amount of time it takes a rep to get from the first day on the job to first prospect outreach.

Why it’s important: A quicker ramp time indicates your  sales enablement platform  and training are effective, your tools and processes are intuitive, and you’re hiring qualified candidates.   This results in faster sales and more engaged reps. If you find ramp time is slow, consider revisiting onboarding programs and sharing AI transcripts of winning sales calls with new reps, changing your tools, or streamlining your processes.

How to calculate: (Total time in days it takes all new reps to get from day one to first prospect outreach) / (total number of new reps) = Average rep ramp time

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8. referrals.

What it measures: The number of referrals for new customers from existing customers secured by each rep during a given quarter.

Why it’s important: When your customers are over-the-moon happy with your products or services, they can serve as advocates, promoting you to prospects who otherwise may not be familiar with your brand. This makes it easier for reps to sell, leading to faster  sales cycles  and more closed deals.

9. Customer retention

What it measures: The percentage of customers who continue to buy and use your products/services. The inverse is churn rate — the percentage of customers who decide to stop buying or using your products/services.

Why it’s important: While new customers add to revenue, they also take  significant resources to secure . By watching customer retention and focusing on opportunities to upsell and cross-sell, you’re generating predictable revenue with a loyal customer base — and maximizing ROI. If you see customer retention slip, you may need to revisit rep engagement strategies to ensure your team is prioritizing existing customer relationships.

How to calculate: (Overall number of customers at the end of the year – net new customers acquired during the year) / (number of customers at the start of the year) x 100 = Customer retention

A CRM uses customer and sales performance data to gauge progress toward sales KPIs. To help with interpretation, most CRMs offer visualization tools or dashboards that can be customized with the KPIs most relevant to your business. The dashboard provides a clear picture of sales and company health so everyone from sales reps to leaders can make decisions that keep revenue flowing.

We’re in noisier, more competitive markets, and businesses are relying on new data sources to scale against competition. You can still build a seven-figure business with a phone and Excel, but if you want to do it better, you need the right technology. Alex Alleyne

To make sure everyone is in the loop, you need dashboards that provide high-level status updates to C-suite executives and more granular, deal-based dashboards for your reps. You don’t have to worry about updating dashboards manually — automation and  AI-powered CRMs  can pull data directly into customized dashboards to help you see progress toward KPIs without manual lift. Use these insights to improve performance, like tracking the fastest rep ramp times and checking in with those reps to see what worked that you could replicate.

Here are the dashboards we recommend for how to track sales KPIs:

For chief revenue officers (CROs) and sales leaders:

• Home “State of the Union” Dashboard: This provides an overview of top-level, year-to-date performance by target KPIs. It gives you the most important metrics for your business on one screen, including notable open and closed deals (usually the biggest accounts by value), top sales reps by quota attainment, and overall sales performance vs.  forecast .

For sales managers:

• Pipeline Dashboard: Get a snapshot of each rep’s pipeline with this dashboard, including average sales cycles, average deal amounts, and conversion rates. You’ll get clarity on the progression of deals in each pipeline and identify problem areas you need to address quickly.
• Team Activities Dashboard: See what your team’s doing to stay on top of active deals. Look at their total, completed, and overdue tasks and review each rep’s call and email logs. Dive deeper into conversations by looking at AI-generated call summaries. Use these summaries to identify customer sentiment and help move deals forward. Overall, this dashboard is key for monitoring rep engagement and  sales process  efficiency.

For sales operations (sales ops) teams:

• Performance Dashboard: Drill into closed deals by region, account, or product so you can see what’s contributing to high deal win rates or slowing conversions. Once you know the “why,” you can recommend strategy shifts for your team.
• Stage Analysis Dashboard: This dashboard shows how deals across all reps are moving through the stages of the sales process, revealing bottlenecks and at-risk opportunities. Trends and patterns identified with AI can reveal opportunities for process improvements.

For sales reps:

• Rep and Team Leaderboard Dashboards: This is an overview of individual rep and team performance data, including  sales quotas  attainment, leads in pipe, pipe generation, closed/won deals, average sales cycle time, and sales activities.

For more guidance, check out our article on key sales  KPI dashboards  that can help you hit or exceed your revenue targets.

Home in on the sales KPIs that matter to you

There’s no shortage of sales KPIs to track — but zeroing in on the right ones depends on what’s important to your business right now. First, identify overarching goals. For example, are you focused on driving growth or maximizing revenue with existing resources and investments?

Once you’re aligned on larger goals, you can select relevant sales KPIs to track and target metrics that will ensure you hit your broader business goals. Be sure to set up dashboards in a  CRM  accessible to all teams so you can see a clear view of progress toward the goals you’ve defined.

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Level Up Your Workout: How to Plan and Pay for a Home Gym

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As a former college athlete, John Bovard has always prioritized exercise. Building a home gym helped him balance health, career and family.

“To be able to walk right downstairs, get our workout in, be back upstairs without any travel time or any commute was something that was our best option,” says Bovard, a certified financial planner and owner of Incline Wealth Advisors in Cincinnati.

The cost to build a home gym ranges from $300 to $15,000, according to home improvement website HomeAdvisor, and depends on your equipment and renovation needs. It may seem daunting and expensive, but there are ways to manage the costs. Here are five tips to tackle a home gym so you gain muscle — not unmanageable debt.

Spot what you need

Before jumping into plans for a dream gym, reflect on your past and current exercise patterns.

“Know the equipment you like that keeps you motivated, so you're not wasting money,” says Megan Kopka, a certified financial planner at Apprise Wealth Management in Wilmington, North Carolina, “so [the equipment] doesn't become a clothes rack.”

For some, equipment can mean dumbbells and a strength training machine, which can range from $1,000 to $6,000 or more. For others, a yoga mat and a few light weights, which can total less than $100, may be sufficient. Consider gym add-ons like speakers, floor mats or app subscriptions, which can amplify your workout but increase your costs.

Kopka pays for a Peloton app subscription and says the workouts it provides are affordable and rewarding. “I'm a financial planner. I work all the time,” says Kopka, “I'm planning for everybody else, and it's just nice to have that online class where they tell you what to do.”

Let your budget do the heavy lifting

Once you have a firm idea of what’s needed for your home gym, create a budget by researching equipment, adding up the costs and factoring in any savings from, for example, canceling a gym membership. Identify equipment you may want to buy new versus secondhand.

Bovard found used equipment through Facebook Marketplace and Play It Again Sports. He says rubber-coated dumbbells or weights with low wear-and-tear can be good second-hand purchases.

It may be tempting to buy everything you want for your gym quickly, but it's best to build the space over time.

“You're not going to be able to go from zero to a fully decked-out gym,” says Bovard. Lead with your budget as you decide what to purchase and when, and stagger the purchases to give your bank account a rest.

Stretch your savings

The cheapest way to finance a home gym is to pay with cash. “Savings would be more of a slow and steady route,” says Bovard. “That's where it would make more sense to save over time and slowly start to accumulate what you need.”

Setting aside cash from your monthly income and building the gym in stages can help you avoid high-interest financing options like a credit card or personal loan. Bovard also suggests checking if you can use funds from a workplace health savings account (HSA) for qualified gym equipment. Your employer may also provide compensation for a gym membership that can go toward home gym costs instead.

Another consideration for how much to invest in the gym: How long do you intend to stay in the house? While a gym may increase your home’s value when you sell, the space should also be adaptable for a future homeowner.

Weigh your financing options

Financing is another way to pay for the home gym. Credit cards can be convenient for purchasing equipment and accessories, but interest rates can be high. To avoid interest, pay off the balance each month or get a credit card with a no-interest introductory period , which can be 15 to 18 months. Earning credit card rewards or points can also help offset other costs.

“ Buy now, pay later ” providers like Klarna and Afterpay allow borrowers to break up a major purchase into equal biweekly or monthly payments, often with zero- or low-interest plans. You can find buy now, pay later options during checkout at major retailers and fitness companies like Peloton and Tonal. Applying for a buy now, pay later plan typically only requires a soft credit check, so there’s no impact on your credit score, but the convenience can also make it easy to overspend.

Borrowing funds using your home equity or an unsecured home improvement loan is best suited for a gym that requires remodeling that may include electrical and plumbing work. A home equity loan or line of credit uses your home as collateral and has low interest rates relative to a credit card or personal loan, but it can take a few weeks for a credit decision. An unsecured home improvement loan will have a higher interest rate but won’t require your home to secure the loan, and some lenders offer same-day funding.

Stay on track to see results

A home gym pays off if it’s used regularly, so staying consistent with your workouts is important to get the most out of your money. “If you're not going to use it, it's expensive,” says Kopka.

Feel comfortable adapting the space as needed, like getting additional equipment or selling anything you’re not using.

After building their home gym, Bovard and his wife realized an added benefit: Their five young kids got involved. “They might watch us work out or they might hang out in there,” says Bovard. “I think that's a great part of it.”

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The huge solar storm is keeping power grid and satellite operators on edge

Geoff Brumfiel

Willem Marx

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of solar flares early Saturday afternoon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm. Solar Dynamics Observatory hide caption

NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of solar flares early Saturday afternoon. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm.

Planet Earth is getting rocked by the biggest solar storm in decades – and the potential effects have those people in charge of power grids, communications systems and satellites on edge.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there have been measurable effects and impacts from the geomagnetic storm that has been visible as aurora across vast swathes of the Northern Hemisphere. So far though, NOAA has seen no reports of major damage.

The Picture Show

Photos: see the northern lights from rare, solar storm.

There has been some degradation and loss to communication systems that rely on high-frequency radio waves, NOAA told NPR, as well as some preliminary indications of irregularities in power systems.

"Simply put, the power grid operators have been busy since yesterday working to keep proper, regulated current flowing without disruption," said Shawn Dahl, service coordinator for the Boulder, Co.-based Space Weather Prediction Center at NOAA.

NOAA Issues First Severe Geomagnetic Storm Watch Since 2005

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"Satellite operators are also busy monitoring spacecraft health due to the S1-S2 storm taking place along with the severe-extreme geomagnetic storm that continues even now," Dahl added, saying some GPS systems have struggled to lock locations and offered incorrect positions.

NOAA's GOES-16 satellite captured a flare erupting occurred around 2 p.m. EDT on May 9, 2024.

As NOAA had warned late Friday, the Earth has been experiencing a G5, or "Extreme," geomagnetic storm . It's the first G5 storm to hit the planet since 2003, when a similar event temporarily knocked out power in part of Sweden and damaged electrical transformers in South Africa.

The NOAA center predicted that this current storm could induce auroras visible as far south as Northern California and Alabama.

Extreme (G5) geomagnetic conditions have been observed! pic.twitter.com/qLsC8GbWus — NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (@NWSSWPC) May 10, 2024

Around the world on social media, posters put up photos of bright auroras visible in Russia , Scandinavia , the United Kingdom and continental Europe . Some reported seeing the aurora as far south as Mallorca, Spain .

The source of the solar storm is a cluster of sunspots on the sun's surface that is 17 times the diameter of the Earth. The spots are filled with tangled magnetic fields that can act as slingshots, throwing huge quantities of charged particles towards our planet. These events, known as coronal mass ejections, become more common during the peak of the Sun's 11-year solar cycle.

A powerful solar storm is bringing northern lights to unusual places

Usually, they miss the Earth, but this time, NOAA says several have headed directly toward our planet, and the agency predicted that several waves of flares will continue to slam into the Earth over the next few days.

While the storm has proven to be large, predicting the effects from such incidents can be difficult, Dahl said.

Shocking problems

The most disruptive solar storm ever recorded came in 1859. Known as the "Carrington Event," it generated shimmering auroras that were visible as far south as Mexico and Hawaii. It also fried telegraph systems throughout Europe and North America.

Stronger activity on the sun could bring more displays of the northern lights in 2024

While this geomagnetic storm will not be as strong, the world has grown more reliant on electronics and electrical systems. Depending on the orientation of the storm's magnetic field, it could induce unexpected electrical currents in long-distance power lines — those currents could cause safety systems to flip, triggering temporary power outages in some areas.

my cat just experienced the aurora borealis, one of the world's most radiant natural phenomena... and she doesn't care pic.twitter.com/Ee74FpWHFm — PJ (@kickthepj) May 10, 2024

The storm is also likely to disrupt the ionosphere, a section of Earth's atmosphere filled with charged particles. Some long-distance radio transmissions use the ionosphere to "bounce" signals around the globe, and those signals will likely be disrupted. The particles may also refract and otherwise scramble signals from the global positioning system, according to Rob Steenburgh, a space scientist with NOAA. Those effects can linger for a few days after the storm.

Like Dahl, Steenburgh said it's unclear just how bad the disruptions will be. While we are more dependent than ever on GPS, there are also more satellites in orbit. Moreover, the anomalies from the storm are constantly shifting through the ionosphere like ripples in a pool. "Outages, with any luck, should not be prolonged," Steenburgh said.

What Causes The Northern Lights? Scientists Finally Know For Sure

The radiation from the storm could have other undesirable effects. At high altitudes, it could damage satellites, while at low altitudes, it's likely to increase atmospheric drag, causing some satellites to sink toward the Earth.

The changes to orbits wreak havoc, warns Tuija Pulkkinen, chair of the department of climate and space sciences at the University of Michigan. Since the last solar maximum, companies such as SpaceX have launched thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit. Those satellites will now see their orbits unexpectedly changed.

"There's a lot of companies that haven't seen these kind of space weather effects before," she says.

The International Space Station lies within Earth's magnetosphere, so its astronauts should be mostly protected, Steenburgh says.

In a statement, NASA said that astronauts would not take additional measures to protect themselves. "NASA completed a thorough analysis of recent space weather activity and determined it posed no risk to the crew aboard the International Space Station and no additional precautionary measures are needed," the agency said late Friday.

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England. Ian Forsyth/Getty Images hide caption

People visit St Mary's lighthouse in Whitley Bay to see the aurora borealis on Friday in Whitley Bay, England.

While this storm will undoubtedly keep satellite operators and utilities busy over the next few days, individuals don't really need to do much to get ready.

"As far as what the general public should be doing, hopefully they're not having to do anything," Dahl said. "Weather permitting, they may be visible again tonight." He advised that the largest problem could be a brief blackout, so keeping some flashlights and a radio handy might prove helpful.

I took these photos near Ranfurly in Central Otago, New Zealand. Anyone can use them please spread far and wide. :-) https://t.co/NUWpLiqY2S — Dr Andrew Dickson reform/ACC (@AndrewDickson13) May 10, 2024

And don't forget to go outside and look up, adds Steenburgh. This event's aurora is visible much further south than usual.

A faint aurora can be detected by a modern cell phone camera, he adds, so even if you can't see it with your eyes, try taking a photo of the sky.

The aurora "is really the gift from space weather," he says.

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