How to Make a DIY Daily Planner for School (Plus Tips to Stay Organized)

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Customize your very own aesthetic academic planner
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If you've ever forgotten to do your homework or been caught unprepared for a test, then you might want to start using a planner. Planners help to keep you organized and on top of your assignments, and making your own planner allows you to create one with a look you like and the features you need. To get started, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to make your own notebook planner, then we’ll go over the best ways to use your planner to stay organized and succeed in school, and give you other options for customizable and printable planners.

Making a DIY School Planner

Write your name on the inside cover of a notebook. Glue your class schedule onto the first page, then draw or paste a daily, weekly, or monthly calendar onto the next page—whatever organization system you prefer. Add sections for events, birthdays, or goal-setting, then decorate your planner with stickers and doodles.

Section 1 of 3:

Making a DIY Planner in a Notebook

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  1. Think carefully about the size, bindings, and paper pattern that you want. If you like to include a lot of details, you’ll probably need a larger notebook. But something smaller will be easier to carry, and it will take up less room in your backpack.
    • You’ll also have a choice of bindings. Spiral-bound notebooks lie flat, but composition books and similar notebooks with a sewn binding won’t damage your other books and papers, as spiral bindings sometimes do. [1]
    • If you like to keep all of your papers together, consider purchasing a notebook that has a folder attached or a pocket inside the front cover.
    • If you choose to draw a biweekly calendar rather than listing your assignments, you may find that blank, grid-lined, or grid-dotted paper is a good choice.
    • Blank paper will also allow you to make your own pages however you like—simply draw what you want into your planner. This choice is especially handy if you’re good at art and want to add a lot of aesthetics and decoration to your planner.
  2. Also, include any information that would help someone return your planner if you lose it. Such information might include your grade level, phone number, and student ID number.
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  3. Especially at the beginning of your school year or semester, you may not have your class schedule memorized. By pasting your schedule into the very front of your planner, you’ll always have it available for easy reference.
  4. Open your planner to a blank page and draw a table with four rows and six columns. Make sure that each square is large enough to record assignments and events—if you need to make your calendar stretch across two pages, that’s okay, too. [2]
    • Label the top of each column with a day of the week, combining Saturday and Sunday into one column. Then, write the corresponding date into the corner of each small box.
    • Write the name of the month and year at the top of the page, e.g., January 2025.
    • You only need to create monthly pages for the months you’ll be using your planner in. If you don’t plan on using your planner during the summer, for example, you can skip making pages for July and August.
    • You can use this website to view the calendar for any given year and month and make sure you’re filling in the dates and days of the week correctly.
  5. Open your planner up so that two blank pages are in front of you. Draw two evenly-spaced vertical lines down each page. Using the seam of the notebook as an additional line, you should be left with six vertical columns. Draw a horizontal line across the top of the columns, leaving about 0.5–1 in (13–25 mm) of space between the line and the top of the page. [3]
    • In the boxes created by this horizontal line, write the corresponding date and day of the week for your desired date range in each box. For example, one set of pages may have Monday March 3, Tuesday March 4, Wednesday March 5, etc.
    • In your last column, combine Saturday and Sunday into one, since you generally won’t have homework or assignments due on those days.
    • If you’d prefer, make horizontal rows instead of vertical columns. Or, lay it out in a different way that makes sense to you. A planner that you don't like using won't help you organize your homework and get assignments done. So, feel free to adjust and personalize your planner to your exact needs—but use these steps as a guideline.
  6. Since this is your DIY planner, you can add whatever sections and pages you want! As long as your planner includes the main essentials—monthly calendar and daily schedule—you can then suit the rest of the pages to your individual needs, such as: [4]
    • Upcoming Events
    • After School Activities
    • Appointments
    • Notes
    • Contacts
    • Agendas
    • Brainstorming
    • Gratitude Lists
    • Books to Be Read
    • Nutrition & Fitness Tracking
    • Work Scheduling
    • Goal Tracking
    • Mental Health Tracking
  7. Add personality and uniqueness to your planner by adding aesthetic decor to all of your different pages. Add any stickers you like, as well as planner stickers that have dates, times, and activities on them. [5]
    • Use colored pencils or markers to doodle or color in sections of your pages and use patterned tape to create borders or make cool designs.
    • If you need inspiration, search “aesthetic diy planner” in a search engine or social media platform to see tons of fun and creative planner ideas.
  8. If the cover of your planner is currently blank or not to your liking, decorate it with anything you like—stickers, doodles, magazine collages, etc. Base your design on something you’re interested in, like drawing a comic strip or your favorite superhero on the cover if you’re into comics.
    • Or, make a collage of your favorite singer, dream destination, or aesthetic images you like.
    • You can use paints, markers, glue, colored pencils, and other craft supplies to decorate the outside of your planner.
    • However, make sure that whatever you use will be durable. For example, if you glue sequins to the cover or use glitter, you risk losing your decorations in the deep, dark depths of your backpack.
    • Decorating the outside is one of the best ways to make your planner just for you. And the more you feel like your planner expresses your personality and creativity, the more you’ll want to use it. Plus, you’ll get to show off your beautiful work.
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Section 2 of 3:

How to Use a School Planner Effectively

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  1. When you get your syllabus at the beginning of the year or semester, write any major projects, exams, or deadlines into your monthly calendar. Then, break up these deadlines into short-term goals to make sure that you’re beginning to work on your major projects or study for important exams in advance. [6]
    • For example, let’s say you have a science exam on Friday, October 28th. On each of the 3-4 previous Fridays, write “study a chapter for science exam” onto your monthly calendar. This way, you’ll be studying for your exam throughout the month, rather than cramming at the last minute.
    • Similarly, you may have a paper due on Friday, October 28th. Break up the paper into steps, like an outline, rough draft, revisions, and final draft. Assign yourself an earlier deadline for each of these stages and note them in your monthly calendar.
    • When you get your school’s official calendar at the beginning of the year, copy its important dates into your planner’s monthly calendar, e.g., school breaks, standardized testing weeks, extracurricular events, etc.
    • If you so choose, add personal events like birthdays, appointments, holidays, and other significant occasions to your monthly calendar.
  2. Write in your assignments for each class on the day that they’re due. Then, in a different color pen, write a to-do list for each day that will ensure you get all of your assignments turned in on time. [7]
    • For example, let’s say you have English and Spanish homework due Wednesday, a math exam on Thursday, and chemistry and history assignments due on Friday.
    • Your daily to-do lists might look like: Monday (do English homework); Tuesday (do Spanish homework); Wednesday (study for math exam); Thursday (chemistry and history homework).
    • Stay organized by using different colored markers or pens to color code your courses or assignment types. You can assign different colors to different classes, different types of work (essay, project, test review), or different priority levels (due next week, urgent, etc.).
    • If your teacher tends to change due dates often, write your planner entries in pencil.
  3. Set aside some time on a daily or weekly basis to go over your upcoming schedules and due dates. This time may be a perfect moment to look ahead at the next week (or month) and sketch out some to-do lists or break long-term projects into shorter-term deadlines. Making a point to regularly review your schedules will help prevent any missed assignments or deadlines.
  4. As you use your planner, you’ll identify any additional sections you may want to include. For example, you can make a page of goals for the next few weeks or the semester, a page for the school calendar, or a page with contact information and birthdays. When you do add new sections, use sticky tabs or flags to label the sections so that you can easily find what you need in your planner. [8]
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Section 3 of 3:

Other Options for a Customized School Planner

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  1. Download and print loose calendar or planner pages from websites like iHeart Organizing , Canva , and Passion Planner . Mix and match the pages you like, then bind them together with one of these options:
    • Three-Ring Binder: Print your planner pages and punch them with a 3-hole punch. Place them into a standard three-ring binder .
    • Spiral-Bound: Print the template pages and bind them with a binding machine , or have them bound at an office supply store. [9]
    • Professionally Printed: Upload your planner pages to the online system of your local print shop. Select how you want your pages to be bound, as well as if you want the pages to be double-sided, in color, etc.
  2. Purchase a customizable planner that lets you mix and match its components. Look for one with an aesthetic you like, since you’ll be able to customize which features you want to keep or get rid of. Most of these DIY planner products also have services where you can add more pages or documents later on if needed.
  3. Cut and paste together parts of different planners to create one that suits your academic needs and personal aesthetic. Let’s say all you want is an aesthetic notebook with month-at-a-glance calendar pages throughout, but all you can find are boring planners or planners that have tons of extra features that you don’t want. [10]
    • In this example, you could purchase a basic, affordable planner with monthly calendar pages . Then, cut those pages out and paste them into a pretty notebook to create your custom planner.
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Daily Planner Template for School

Community Q&A

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  • Question
    How can I make myself remember to check the planner?
    Community Answer
    Put a sticky note on your mirror or another place where you look daily. You could also set a daily reminder on your phone to check your planner.
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    Not Helpful 23 Helpful 138
  • Question
    What is the best type of journal to use?
    Community Answer
    Any notebook or journal will do. Choose one that you like and that fits well in your purse, pocket, or backpack.
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  • Question
    What is "dog-earing?"
    Community Answer
    Dog-earing is folding down a small corner of a page to mark that page in a book.
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      Tips

      • While you might be tempted to keep track of things using an app or your phone, research has shown that writing things down helps you remember them better later. So, if there’s the slightest chance you’ll forget something important, jot it down in your planner. Not only will you be more likely to remember, but you’ll also have a reference if you need to check later. [11]
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        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Have fun with your planner! Write inspiring quotes for each page, keep track of the lunch menu, or keep a log of interesting facts you’ve learned and weird things your classmates have said.
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      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • As you use your planner, you can cross off or put a checkmark next to assignments you've completed so as to keep yourself fully organized.
      • If you're making your planner with loose-leaf pages, mix in some pretty stationary for a cute and aesthetic look!
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      References

      1. ↑ https://bambra.com.au/news/10-book-binding-methods-you-need-to-know/
      2. ↑ https://www.shescraftycrafty.com/2015/03/diy-planner.html
      3. ↑ https://www.shescraftycrafty.com/2015/03/diy-planner.html
      4. ↑ https://www.shescraftycrafty.com/2015/03/diy-planner.html
      5. ↑ https://lovefrommim.com/planner-decorating-for-beginners-tips/
      6. ↑ https://www.bowdoin.edu/baldwin-center/pdf/handout-breaking-large-projects-down.pdf
      7. ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-get-students-use-their-planners/
      8. ↑ https://www.additudemag.com/organize-prioritize-adhd-child-school-homework-help/
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/bKFx-p7Lx0c?t=611
      1. ↑ https://mysomethingbeautifullife.com/combining-erin-condren-lifeplanner-and-makselife-planner/
      2. ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-the-questions/201808/6-reasons-why-you-should-use-daily-planner

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To make your own school planner, choose a notebook that will easily fit into your backpack. Write your name inside the front cover in case you lose it, and write or staple a copy of your class schedule on the first page. Open the notebook to the second page, and divide the right page into 3 sections, each labeled with the day of the week and the date. Use these sections to write out daily work. On the left page, write “After School” or “Upcoming Assignments” so you’ll have an easy place to see everything. Keep reading to learn how to make a biweekly planner instead!

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Collette McElroy

        Sep 15, 2018

        "I was really unorganized, and when my stepmom surprised me two weeks before school began with a blank planner, I ..." more
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