How To Plan Your Semester (And Finish Everything on Time)

The workload at university is completely and utterly overwhelming. Trust me, it’s not just you it’s the same for everyone. At one point, I had 37 assessments due in just five weeks, that’s more than one due every single day.

The only reason I got through it (and finished my degree on time with the university medal) was because I used one tool: an Assessment Planner (and worked my arse off obviously).

This simple system helped me:

• finish every assessment on time
• avoid falling behind or losing marks for late submissions
• reduced my stress (this was huge for me)

Here’s exactly how I made I planned my semester:

You can also watch my video on how to finish every university assessment on time:

Step 1: Build Your Template

There’s two easy ways to make your planner:

1. Use a word document
2. Use a calendar app

I always used a word document and printed a hard copy, because I liked having it up on my wall where I could easily see it. I’ll explain the steps I followed for a word document, then at the end I’ll give you the breakdown for a calendar app.

Option 1: Word Document

Open a blank Word document and create a table with enough columns for all of your subjects for the semester (this works for trimesters too). Then add

• two extra columns at the start for week numbers (e.g., week 1, week 2) and dates (use the date of the Monday of each week)
• one row per week, including lecture recess, swotvac (study break weeks), exams, and study periods (these will vary depending on your specific university)

Then across the top of the planner, add the subject codes and names for each subject. One column per subject. So if you have four subjects in a semester you’ll have six columns: one for each subject, one for the week numbers and one for the date (see the image below so it makes more sense).

Option 2: Using a Calendar App

If you prefer digital tools, you can build your assessment planner inside a calendar app like Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or Notion Calendar.

Here’s how:

1. Create a new calendar just for university assessments (so it’s separate from personal events).

Then move onto step 2

Step 2: Add Every Assessment

Every class comes with a subject or course outline (or syllabus)…it might be called something else at your uni. This document will list every assessment, its weight (%), and the due date for the whole semester.

For word documents:

Go through each outline in detail and add every assessment into the week it is due, include:

• the type (prac, tutorial, essay, report)
• the due date
• and in brackets, the percentage it’s worth (this is important)

Also add any exams, midterms, and tiny assessments. Nothing is left out.

For calendar apps:

1. Add each assessment as an event on the date it’s due.
   • Include the subject code in the title (e.g. BIO101 – Lab Report).
   • Add the weight (%) in brackets so you can quickly see how important it is.

Step 3: Colour-Code by Weight

To make my workload and assessment planner clear at a quick glance, I used different colors:

• Small task worth 5% or less (tutorials, pracs, worksheets) in one color
• Big tasks worth more than 5% (essays, scientific reports, literature reviews, presentations) in another color
• Midterms and exams in another

Each of these three types of tasks need to be treated differently, so having them highlighted in a different color makes it easier to see what you have to do.

• The small tasks usually only take a few hours and you might even have one due every week
• The big tasks need planning, research, writing, editing etc before submission so need more hours and attention (but are worth more marks)
• Exams and tests need studying for…which let’s face it, takes time.

For Calendar apps and Word documents:

Colour-code events (highlight or color pens for word, or different types of events in a calendar), e.g:

• Blue = small tasks (5 % or less)
• Orange = major assignments (10 % or more)
• Red = exams or tests

Step 4: Backdate Your Big Tasks

This is the real game-changer. For every major assessment (big task), I created a four-week workflow:

• Week 1: Plan and Research
• Week 2: Write (Draft)
• Week 3: Edit
• Week 4: Submit (the week it was due)

The workflow meant I never got to the week a major assessment was due and had to scramble to get it done, because I had already finished it.

For Calendar apps and Word documents:

Backdate reminders:

• 4 weeks before due date → “Start research”
• 3 weeks before due date → “Draft assignment”
• 2 weeks before due date → “Edit assignment”
• 1 week before due date → “Final check + submit”

Step 5: Using the Planner with the Do Now, Do Later System

Every week I divided tasks into two buckets:

• Do Now = assessments due that week (always done first, in order of deadline on the assessment planner)
• Do Later = workflow steps for big pieces (writing, researching, editing)

Once I cleared my Do Now list, I moved to Do Later tasks. Nothing rolled forward onto the next week. By the end of the week, everything was crossed off before the next week began. And yes… this often meant I had late nights with not much sleep, but overall it made my life much easier.

Step 6: Accept the Don’t Do’s

The planner also made it clear that I couldn’t do everything. For me, that meant required readings were generally not done. After first year, I stopped doing them consistently. My priority was always attending lectures, pracs, tutorials, and then completing assessments. If I had extra time, I’d read. If not, it was okay.

Your “Don’t Do’s” might be different, but this step is important. University is about priorities, and not everything is a priority (even if your lecturer says otherwise)

Step 7: Attendance Is Non-Negotiable

One thing that never goes in the Don’t Do category: attendance. Lectures, tutorials, and pracs are your golden ticket to passing.

When you’re in the room (or logged in online), you:

• hear exactly what the professor thinks is important
• pick up verbal hints about exams
• get to ask questions on the spot

It saves hours of wasted time at home wondering about something you could’ve asked in class. And yes, I know it’s easier to say you’ll watch the lecture later…that’s rarely true, or it snowballs to the point where you’re watching the lecture weeks after a related assessment was due.

Don’t do it…it’s not worth it!

You can read more about how to manage your time at university (and everything that goes with it) here.