At the start of each school year, each McKinley tiger is given a planner to organize all their assignments and extracurricular activities. Despite being a free and generous gift, many students choose not to use it and resort to other organizing strategies (such as post its and memo books). These different strategies can all work depending on the preference of the user, but using the planner is a recommended way to start and find your preferred style of organizing. I have my own personal tips when starting daily planner use. When first using your planner, always be sure to color label or bookmark the current week and important deadlines. It is also important to label some of the Reference pages if you are having trouble in one of your core classes and find the Reference sheets useful. When color coding, the colors, also, do not have to be random. You could make your color chart (making colors represent different things). When you are finishing all your assignments, make sure you have some sort of check-off system in your planner so you know you are done with one assignment and not have to go back to it. This could include circles, check boxes, highlighting, and even page folding! When writing, it is sometimes easier to color code your handwriting if you have the time (even pen/pencil works because they are distinctly separate) because it cuts down a lot of time whenever you look inside your planner. The planner does not include a Month-by-Month section just to be viewed. This part of the planner should be used to have all your important deadlines that you can briefly look at with just a glance. Even following all these tips, make sure your planner is something you bring to school from home and back, something you are always writing in. Through repetition of planner use, you find yourself both more organized and less stressed. Planners are also very useful in higher education and in daily life, so using it in high school really will pay it off when people in those higher institutions see your planner skills you learned at McKinley high school. If these planner tips won’€™t be taken from me, take them from a member of National Honor Society. Alexander Duong (11) said he finds drawing pictures in his planner simulating for the mind to take boredom off his mind. I hear that many students dislike the planner because of its redundant contact list on the back and half-Spanish translation. The planner is still free so students should be grateful for it and anyhow use it to the best of their ability. I honestly love the Schedule backside of the planner, since it saves so much time having to flip to page 34!