September has arrived, and so has the pressure of productivity. Arts and Creativity Editor Laura Molloy breaks down some popular methods of aesthetic overplanning.
September has arrived, and so has the pressure of productivity. Explore pages are flooded with “study influencers” and the compulsion to reshape your life is more prevalent than ever. From vision boards, to bullet journals, to digital software like Notion, there is no shortage of creative options when it comes to organisation. Yet there remains a question if these planners do more damage than good. Let us take a look at some of the most popular methods, and some of the drawbacks associated with aesthetic overplanning.
Vision Boards and Pinterest Boards
Often connected to the ideology of manifesting, vision boards and Pinterest boards are popular ways of setting goals. They involve creating a collage of aesthetically pleasing images that represent what you’re hoping to achieve. For example, if you’re aiming to pass your driving test you could include images of cars. If your goal is to travel, you might include pictures of where you’d like to visit. Many set their boards as their phone wallpaper or as the background of their desktop. This can be useful for staying motivated during the year as you’re frequently reminded of what you’re working towards.
However, boards like these can accompany a habit of setting unrealistic expectations. Productivity and study influencers will often promote these boards as a form of setting goals, but what they include in their boards may not be realistic for students. Despite what social media says, learning three new languages, studying for eight hours straight, having multiple side hustles, and buying your dream car is not feasible for the average university student. Making a vision board can be fun, and requires little time and effort - but make sure you keep its content attainable.
Bullet Journals and Academic Diaries
The original “It Girl” of organisation. No technology is required for this method, all you need is a dotted grid notebook and some coloured pens. Bullet journals can be used to plan the year ahead, document travel, track the books you’ve read, or even just to journal your thoughts. If you’re looking for inspiration for templates or how to best decorate them, TikTok and Pinterest are full of ideas. They’re the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a new set of gel pens or markers, making them ideal for every stationary fanatic.
While spending hours creating detailed and artistic setups can be fun, it can also create a false sense of productivity. Bullet journals require time to set up, as you’re essentially designing your planner from scratch. The academic diary on the other hand is a more immediate method of planning. It still allows you to use your fancy gel pens and show off your creative flare, but it comes with a pre-designed layout saving you valuable time. These diaries can vary in price, so do shop around for one that fits your budget. Cheaper diaries can be more plain in design but can always be spruced up with a little creativity.
Notion
Notion is a note-taking and productivity web application that was founded in 2013 and released as an app in 2016. The app has gained immense popularity among study influencers such as Lydia Violeta, Ruby Granger, Unjaded Jade, Anna Lenkovska and many more. Thousands of free templates are available to be downloaded from study influencers which can save students significant time when planning. Templates are available for a variety of areas such as exam revision, lecture notes, meal prepping, budgeting and many more. This makes Notion a fantastic choice for students when it comes to their planning and organisation.
Similar to bullet planners, students can fall into the time-suck trap of endlessly browsing templates with the aim of creating the perfect planner. Notion offers the option to create detailed and complex planners, allowing the students to have full creative control over their organisation. However, this level of choice may hinder students in their productivity as they concentrate on the aesthetics of to-do lists, rather than completing them.
There are clearly a variety of options of planners for students to choose from, particularly if they are looking to tap into their creativity. However, it is important for students to not get caught up in the toxic side of hustle culture that many influencers promote. Setting goals and tracking habits may help students to stay motivated this semester, but no number of achievements is worth sacrificing mental health for. Rather than being swept up in aesthetics, it’s important to focus on what helps you as an individual - whether that’s an intricately designed journal, or a scribbled down to-do list in the back of your notes copy.