Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management Review

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Now that my kids are getting older, homework and projects are an every day part of our lives. My son is entering 5th grade this year and last year we had a heck of a time keeping him organized. He would forget what his homework was or be confused about due dates. This year, we will be using the Order Out of Chaos Academic Planner and I have high hopes that keeping everything straight will be less painful because of it.

Unlike ordinary planners, the Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management provides a unique framework that allows student to visualize their time so they can master it. Typical planners used by students are "to-do" lists. They are used to record homework assignments, upcoming tests, and due dates but they don't help students manage their time so they can get assignments done and then plan accordingly.  It was designed so assignments and due dates for each class can be seen at a glance. Tasks, studying, and assignments are scheduled during "available" times so students can plan time for schoolwork without sacrificing after-school activities or leave things until the last minute.

Review:  I am a bit of a planner junkie. I can spend hours looking through planners before I make a purchase and I have organization within it down to a fine science.  I really attribute my organization skills to my former academic and current career success. However, despite my best efforts to mentor my son to be an organizational guru like me, he struggles. So, I was really excited to have the opportunity to try this new planner with him.

Here is an overview of what I like about this planner:

• It is spiral bound so opening the calendar is flexible. The paper is thicker so I don't anticipate that my son will have too much trouble with accidentally tearing our pages like he did with his last planner.
• You only have to enter the subjects once because the subject page is larger than the calendar pages which is a real time saver!!!
• I love the time management aspect. This is something my son really struggles with and now he can put his football schedule and other activities in so he can visually determine how to plan for studying and projects.
• There are check boxes for completed assignments which can be used rather than crossing items out which can make an assignment book really messy.
• There are sections for the weekend so the child can plan their personal life as well as homework assignment plans for the weekend.
• There is a monthly calendar so your child can write down big events, days off, etc.
• There are sections for notes.

The only issue I saw with the calendar is that there is only one page to write the subjects. When I was in high school, we ran on trimesters and electives would change each trimester. This book does not give you the flexibility to update the "subjects" section. However, using a pencil is an easy work around.

Buy it here: You can purchase the Academic Planner: A Tool for Time Management from the Order Out of Chaos website for $19.00.  There are a variety of covers from which to choose!

*I was provided with the above mentioned product for the purpose of facilitating this review. All opinions expressed are my own.