NOTE: This post is part of a series called "How To Have The Best Semester Yet." Each of these posts is drawn from the course, The Semester Success Blueprint, which is designed for parents or educators to work alongside students with ADHD or Autism, to help prepare them for a successful school semester. Learn more about the course by clicking here.
If you want to go back or skip ahead and read the other posts in this series, click on the links below:
Part 3: How To Have The Best Semester Yet: Learn the art and science of communicating with teachers 📧
Part 4: How To Have The Best Semester Yet (part 3): Break Mid-Terms & Finals Into Manageable Chunks 🔨
Why use a calendar?
There is no getting around it. Students need a way to track their assignments and make plans BEYOND just keeping it in their head.
This is called creating an external brain and it is a key strategy for students with impaired working memory.
The reasons to use a calendar are many including:
Frees up cognitive space to focus on more challenging tasks
Helps you plan your day
Teaches you how to make accurate time estimates
And more!
How to use a calendar
Let's go through the step by step approach for how to use a calendar since this is not often talked about in school.
Step 1: Log in to Google Calendar
You can log in to Google Calendar by going to google.com then clicking on what I call the "waffle" in the upright corner. The waffle is the 9 dots which will open up all your Google applications.
From there, you will see all the Google applications, and you can then click on the calendar. You can also go to the link, https://calendar.google.com/ , and log in directly from there.
Step 2: Create a new event
Using a calendar helps you visually see how much time there is in the day and not plan things that you cannot make time to do.
Using a calendar is known by many names including:
Calendaring
Time blocking
You can do so many things with a calendar event like:
Add an attachment
Share a Zoom link
Let someone else know where you will be and when
Watch this short video on how to create an event in Google Calendar so you can plan out your idea and get more assignments done, communicate more effectively, and learn how to make accurate time estimates.
Step 3: Turn on calendar notifications
The last key to making sure your calendar is useful is to turn on notifications. On whatever device you are using (iPhone, Macbook, iPad), go into settings --> Google Calendar and allow notifications.
This will ensure your device will alert you when an event is coming up. You can also click on the event and change the notification settings to:
10 minutes before
1 week before
And more!
Other helpful things you can do with Google Calendar
Create separate calendars for different purposes
If you are a geek for color coding, you can create separate calendars by hovering over the calendars on the left side and clicking "create new calendar".
Drag tasks into your calendar
You can also drag tasks from your Tasks list into Google Calendar.
Please note that you cannot change the length of these "mini-events" and that you will need to download the Tasks application on your phone or iPad in order to get notifications for tasks.
Conclusion
This email series will guide you through small steps that can have a HUGE impact on your student's success this semester.
If you want to take things a step further, consider enrolling in the Semester Success Blueprint course.
The 'Semester Success Blueprint' isn't just a course; it's a concise, actionable tool designed from years of expertise in executive function coaching and special education.
If you're looking for a strategic, effective approach to improve the educational experience for students with ADHD and ASD, this course offers practical solutions. It's structured to provide just what's necessary, avoiding overload while maximizing impact.
For those ready to make a real difference in how they or their loved ones manage academic challenges, I encourage you to explore what the 'Semester Success Blueprint' has to offer.
Click on the link below to start your journey towards more efficient learning and better educational outcomes today.
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About the author
Sean G. McCormick is a former public school special education teacher who founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services.Â
With this mission in mind, he then founded the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key approaches to improve executive function skills for students.
He is also the co-founder of UpSkill Specialists, a business with a mission to provide adults with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, access to high-quality executive function coaching services that can be accessed through Self-Determination funding.