How to Plan Your Semester Like a Type-A Girl in Crisis

The slightly unhinged but highly functional way to get your life together

So it’s the beginning of the semester. You’ve got syllabi, class group chats, club meetings, 1,000 unread emails, and at least one panic purchase sitting in your Amazon cart labeled “college essentials.”

You’re overwhelmed. But also deeply committed to being That Girl—you know, the one with the color-coded planner, matching highlighters, and a vague sense of control.

This is how I fake that I have my life together at the start of every semester. It’s messy. It’s extra. And it actually works.

1. Start With a Brain Dump (Chaos First, Order Later)

Don’t open your calendar. Don’t touch a planner.Sit down and dump every single thing on your mind into a page or note:

• Class names and times

• Assignments you already know about

• Club meetings

• Shift schedule

• Birthday plans

• Random stuff like “buy printer ink” or “respond to TA”

It’ll look like a disaster. Good. Now we have something to work with.

2. Make a Master Semester Calendar (A.K.A. The Overwhelm Spreadsheet)

This is your Semester at a Glance.

I use a Google Sheet or Notion calendar with the following columns:

• Date

• Class or event

• What’s due / happening

• Priority (High, Medium, Chaos-Inducing)

You’re not scheduling your life yet. You’re just laying out the battlefield.

Bonus: Make it pretty. Color-code each class. Add emojis. Trick your brain into thinking this is fun.

3. Set Up Your Weekly Template (AKA “How I Want My Life to Look”)

Now take your actual class schedule and build a “template” week:

• When are you in class?

• When do you think you’ll do readings?

• Add blocks for food, laundry, walking to class, dissociating on TikTok

It won’t be perfect. But it gives you a baseline.

I use Google Calendar and make each type of task a different color. For example:

• Class = blue

• Study = purple

• Work = red

• “Try not to cry” = yellow

4. Choose Your Planning System (Don’t Overthink It)

Options:

• Google Calendar: If your life runs on notifications

• Notion: If you want to make it ✨aesthetic✨

• Paper planner: If you’re a handwritten girlie who needs to physically cross stuff out

• Combo method: Notes app + paper planner + good intentions

You don’t need a perfect system. You need one that feels natural and doesn’t give you hives.

5. Pick a Weekly Reset Ritual

Every Sunday (or whenever your brain allows), check in:

• Look at your week

• Adjust your “ideal” calendar to fit reality

• Write down your top 3 non-negotiables

• Shift things around. You’re not failing—you’re adapting.

I like to light a candle, play music, and pretend I’m filming a YouTube routine even though no one is watching.

6. Add These “Chaos Buffers” to Your Week

These are blocks of time where nothing is planned. Not for fun. Not for work. Just… for catching up.

I schedule two “Buffer Hours” a week. Sometimes I study. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I nap. It works.

Give yourself breathing room. It’s the only way to actually stick to your plan without burning out by week 3.

Final Thoughts from a Planner-Crashing Professional

Planning your semester doesn’t mean controlling every moment. It just means you’re giving Future You a fighting chance.

You don’t have to get it all right. But if you show up with a little color-coding, a brain dump, and a backup plan for when life gets chaotic—you’re doing better than most.

XOXO,

Broke College Girl