Back to School season is approaching fast and I was thinking the other day about the good old-fashioned homework diary (Student Planner) that my school provided me with.

I no longer have a copy lying around otherwise I would have added in some pictures. It had the school logo on the front, a Timetable section and a WO2P diary (with the holidays filled in) for listing your homework. I used the method of writing items on the date due and not date received. I still use that method to this day.

Each week also had a daily checklist to try to develop the habit of reading a newspaper daily and reading a book a week. As my school was trying to encourage every student to do this. It was the first time I experienced this, and in my teenage years wasn’t really interested in it. However, it was reviewed and signed off by our class teacher. I was continuously told I needed to read a better newspaper and not just the local paper. But looking back it was probably better than nothing.

Since then it is a technique I have used on and off when trying to develop habits which has had varied success over the years.

At university I used a regular Moleskine diary as a student planner – maintaining the same techniques {which you may have read about on the blog at the time if you are a long-time reader). Since my studies I have migrated to using a filofax for my work/personal life and a filofax for my blog.

However the same set up has remained: due date entries and habit development checklists with a weekly timetable at the front.

How has your diary changed since your student days? What did you learn from using your student planner?