Designing a College Semester: More Than Planning
A statistical report from July 2024 found that a mere 11% of people attending college self-identified as being able to effectively plan and manage their time [1]. Not only is this disheartening news for an aspiring student, but it seems counter-intuitive in a world brimming with digital planning technologies, often combined with artificial intelligence (AI). Evidently, effective time management is no longer a problem of making plans or scheduling events; currently, it is a matter of missing design. This article discusses principles that students and even professionals can use to apply design in time management.
Problems in Planning
In the late 18th century, Philadelphian Robert Aitkan released the first modern daily planner. Although his planner was unsuccessful at first, by the mid-19th century it had become a widespread planning tool [2]. Now, these largely digital planners are becoming distractions to students and impeding their efficiency rather than enhancing it because students are emphasizing adding tasks to a planner rather than understanding how a task actually helps them progress [3]. The diminishing success of planners is becoming painfully clear.
Aitken’s planner. Note the economic emphasis on the left page, with columns for the amount paid. The right page has information that was usually held in almanacs [2].
Time-managing planners are widely acknowledged as effective productivity tools. However, time-management coach Anna Kornick claims that too many are trapped in the mentality of thinking that “a well-organized planner is the end-all-be-all of success” [4]. Unfortunately, because of planners, students are outsourcing their planning and choosing instead to focus their mental energy on non-academic items. The average college student spends four hours daily on electronic devices unrelated to their studies [1]. Paradoxically, planners promote an environment of distraction because students feel less accountable for managing their time themselves.
Example of a modern AI-augmented calendar. The scheduled blocks are color-coded and the right tab has more tasks to be completed. While this is highly organized, it may be detrimental because an individual prioritizes checking the boxes rather than designing an end goal [5].
Design as a Solution
Design is how imagination becomes reality through focusing on the final product, and thus good design inevitably involves both planning and scheduling tasks. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that students who focused on task-based goals saw increases in course performance [6]. These students thought about their plans regularly and were thus able to accomplish their various priorities and responsibilities. Studies have shown that up to 80% of college students are not confident in how they manage their various responsibilities [1]. That is the key: students are poor time managers despite, and perhaps because of, increasingly proficient time-management aids.
Selected statistics compiled by Worldmetrics. These represent current trends in college students’ time-management abilities [1]. Evidently, time management is not a common strength. See this source for more information.
An effective designer does not lose track of the end goal by finding a balance between identifying the minutia that must be addressed and yet not losing sight of the big picture. A previous BYU Design Review article by Chris Mattson, “Haste Makes Waste, But Not Always” addresses this topic more in-depth.
Furthermore, time-management products cannot refine a student’s planning! Only other people can do that, and thus good designers hone in on the end goal by interacting with other designers. Refer to “The Peer Review Process and Why it Matters for Design” by Chris Mabey for more information.
Proper design philosophy can not afford to ignore the unexciting aspects of planning. John Salmon wrote a great article on this topic, titled “Design for the Ordinary”. He discusses how designers can be realistic and set goals at “acceptable, reasonable, or optimal levels.”
Designing an Effective Semester
The mindset of design is the foundational criterion for effective planning as it entails both being the planner and keeping the planning mindset. Once a student has met this criterion, then planning can begin. As an active planner, a student will find success in achieving priorities.
Long-term planning can be difficult. A study from the University of Tulsa explains that eight out of ten students change their major in college and that the average undergraduate changes her or his major three times [7]. Despite the likelihood of changing interests, design principles can guide students to make decisions that can endure change.
In fact, one of the principles of design is that iterations and changes will occur (see an excellent article about that here)! These changes are often positive reflections of improvement in achieving priorities. A student with a design mindset will start with plans that take in a wide variety of options, beginning broad before becoming focused. These tips illustrate such plans:
Consume a variety of information at the beginning of the design process, such as by attending seminars. Virginia Tech, for example, focuses on introducing students to campus resources and more than “one branch of knowledge” [8].
Speak with academic advisors and professors often to streamline thoughts and hone-in on desired aspects of your designs.
Use planning technology, but do not outsource design thinking! The Stanford Life Design Lab offers classes to help students utilize “design thinking” in their lifestyle, and a short, explanatory video can be found on YouTube [9].
Iterate through plans until the best one is found that fits with your overall design. Remember, changing your plans will be great if it aligns better with your goals.
A student speaks to an academic advisor. Academic advisors are offered in most colleges and are fantastic opportunities for students to clarify academic goals and discuss plans [10].
This semester, students - and professionals in any field - can take charge of their plans with the principles of design. If a vision of the future is not clear, then a student can focus on iterating through possibilities until a satisfactory option is discovered. Finally, equipped with a strong foundation, students will be empowered to design an effective college semester and overall college experience.
[1] Worldmetrics.org, “College Student Time Management Statistics Highlight Challenges and Struggles,” https://worldmetrics.org/college-student-time-management-statistics/, accessed August 19, 2024
[2] The Boston Globe, “The daily planner: An American history,” https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2013/06/01/the-daily-planner-american-history/WncDRG5hq7B9m0w3cE5jkM/story.html, accessed August 19, 2024.
[3] Harvard University, “Devices in the Classroom,” https://bokcenter.harvard.edu/technology-and-student-distraction, accessed August 19, 2024.
[4] It’s About Time, “Why Your Planner Is Not Working,” https://annadkornick.com/why-your-planner-isnt-working/, accessed August 19, 2024
[5] Reclaimai, 14 Best Planner Apps in 2024 – Organization & Productivity, https://reclaim.ai/blog/best-planner-apps, accessed August 24, 2024
[6] National Bureau of Economic Research, “Using Goals to Motivate College Students: Theory and Evidence from Field Experiments,” https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w23638/w23638.pdf
[7] The University of Tulsa, “Normalizing the Norm of Changing College Majors,” https://utulsa.edu/news/normalizing-the-norm-of-changing-college-majors/, accessed August 21, 2024
[8] Virginia Tech, “Student Tips,” https://fye.vt.edu/students/student-tips.html, accessed August 21, 2024
[9] Stanford Life Design Lab, “Design your life.”, https://lifedesignlab.stanford.edu/, accessed August 21, 2024
[10] University of South Florida, How to Talk to Students About Majors as a College Counselor, https://admissions.usf.edu/blog/how-to-talk-to-students-about-majors-as-a-college-counselor, accessed August 24, 2024
Grand Canyon University, “An Analysis of Study Habits, According to Students Across the U.S.,” https://www.gcu.edu/blog/gcu-experience/analysis-study-habits-according-students-across-us, accessed August 20, 2024
SurveyMonkey, “SurveyMonkey research: College students and AI – valuable study tool or future job threat?”, https://www.surveymonkey.com/curiosity/ai-in-higher-education/, accessed August 20, 2024
