How I get As with just Notion and Google Calendar
It doesn't need to be complicated.
I believe that doing well academically as a high school student doesn't require complicated tools. I just use two tools for my schoolwork: Google Calendar and Notion. I think that's all you need.
Google Calendar
I use Google Calendar to record all of my classes, extracurriculars, meetings, appointments... everything. It is an extension of my brain, and if I had to go without it, I would fall apart. I use Notion Calendar[1], which is essentially a Google Calendar wrapper, to make the interface look nicer.
I can give you the standard tips:
- use color-coding
- don't schedule your whole day: leave flexibility
- every Sunday, organize your calendar for the next week
But just use a calendar, if you aren't already.
Notion
My Notion usage is pretty simple. I don't have crazy over-engineered templates or anything. I just have one database that I call 'Deadline Calendar'. It looks like this:
The idea is to capture all of my schoolwork into this database. Whenever I see a piece of schoolwork that needs getting done, I immediately record it in my Deadline Calendar. I record:
- A unique two-letter or three-letter identifier for the course. For example:
CSfor computer science,USHfor US History,PCfor precalculus,ENGfor English,PSYfor psychology, etc. - A brief identification of what the piece of schoolwork is. For example: if the homework is to complete pg. 31-32 in your math textbook, I would write 'pg. 31-32 exercises'.
- How long you believe the piece of schoolwork will take. I write my estimate in minutes (4h = 240m), and always overestimate[2].
Then, I use another property to indicate assignment progress. I use 'completed', 'in progress', and 'not started'.
The great thing about using Notion as the holder of my Deadline Calendar is it's easy to move assignments around, depending on how my day goes. But because I make a point to always add all of my schoolwork into the Deadline Calendar, I never[3] end up missing anything.
I use other parts of Notion to keep track of my schoolwork. Maybe that'll be a post for another time.
Conclusion
Google Calendar and Notion. That's all you really need.