By Ollie Osterman
With school coming into full swing, there is one issue that may arise, and while it doesn’t seem too pressing now, we are only on the third week of school. Homework and other similar assignments take up a lot of the coursework that needs to be completed, so getting everything done on time is essential to success, especially with how much learning is now done outside the classroom. In this article, you will find a few things that worked for me when I do work. Some of these will be coming from my high school experience, and some from what I’ve seen the past few weeks.
First, when you use Canvas, there is a section on it labeled “calendar” that will tell you when any assignments are due, so long as they are in Canvas. Furthermore, it is a good idea to check your email consistently for updates on assignments and class in general. This is because not every teacher will always post updates in Canvas, so checking your email will help you know when things change. Along with this, check Canvas just as often to make sure you do not miss an assignment or not see one that was posted to be done before class.
Second, do your assignments either the day of or day after they’re assigned if you have trouble remembering when things are due. Doing them early rather than later leads to less stress when you remember they exist. It also can lessen your overall workload when you have 4+ assignments spread throughout the week rather than 4+ assignments all within one night. When you do them early, you don’t have to worry about pulling an all-nighter the night before something is due just to get it done in time or doing it in the class before your next period.
Another tip is to put assignments in your own personal calendar when they are assigned on paper. This, in tandem with checking Canvas’ calendar tab, will help you remember when deadlines are in general. You can also put your classes in your calendar to help have a general understanding of when assignments will happen and be due. For example, my chemistry class has class prep due the day before every class. So when I look in my calendar and see that my chemistry class is coming up, I know to work on the class prep for it.
Of course, there is no one size fits all to getting all your work in on time, so make sure you find your own rhythm that works for you, as what you’re comfortable with will differ from what I or anyone else is comfortable with. These are just a few things that helped me that may also be useful to you.