If you’re keen to be organised for the next academic year, then you’ll want to read our guide on how to start using an academic diary.

We’ve been inspired by #StudyTok and will be focusing on the purpose of having one, reasons why you should start using one as well as where you can get your hands on one!

What Is The Purpose Of An Academic Diary?

An academic diary is a necessity for students looking to stay organised and on top of their tasks whilst at university. If you’re wondering what exactly it is, it’s a planner that will help you reach your potential and hit your goals throughout the whole year, normally they start in August before the academic term begins. They can be used to write down about deadlines, timetables, assignments, upcoming events or anything you like that will help you stay on track academically. You can even use them to practice reflective writing, such as by writing down your opinions on certain modules or tasks at the time, as you may have to write a reflective essay on your progress later on. Academic diaries have become ever popular on TikTok through #StudyTok and we’re here for it, organisation really is the key to a good/work life balance! Purpose of academic diary

Why You Should Start Using An Academic Diary

Are you wondering what the benefits of using an academic planner are? Well, lucky for you we’ve put together this helpful list of 6 benefits so you can pinpoint the reasons you should start using one to help with studying.

1. Helps You Gain Inspiration

We know, in the digital age there’s online planners to make use of, but sometimes having a physical copy of everything can be so much easier and help you to nail uni. Old fashioned can still be great, and you might find that writing things down on paper within a journal sparks more ideas than writing on a blank screen! Not to mention, it's easier to jot things down on the go in a diary rather than on a document on your laptop. Gain inspiration

2. Provides A Good/Work Life Balance

University can be hard, there is a lot of tasks to keep on track with and it can easily become overwhelming trying to ensure you manage studying with your social life and everyday activities. By using an academic diary, you can easily stay on top of things by planning your days out, such as setting the times to study and the times to unwind. It ensures a healthy balance between your academic life, and your personal life. Some academic diaries even come with meal planning sections, how helpful is that?! Good work/life balance

3. You Can Track Your Progress

You’ll be able to track your progress by using an academic diary whether it’s going back and looking at goals you’ve set months prior or seeing how much you’ve improved on certain tasks or assignments. Being able to track your work and progress by just simply flicking through a book in our opinion, is easier than scrolling through files – there’s less hassle involved! You’ll also feel more motivated to hit targets if you’ve physically wrote them down within your diary. Tracking progress

4. Helps You Nail Your Academic Life

Keeping a diary can help you nail your academic workload in many ways, such as by reducing procrastination because you’re managing your time better as well as boosting your memory by enabling you to recall past events or tasks better. This is due to the fact that your brain is more likely to store information you’ve wrote down than things you’ve read. Research has found that students who use an academic diary are better prepared and do better in education than those who don't. Academic success

5. Helps You Gain Key Skills

Using an academic diary will ensure that you’re organised from the get-go, so when it comes to graduating and securing career prospects, you’ll be super on top of things with your great organisation and time-management skills! Keeping an academic diary can also help with improving your writing skills, so if you’re not a strong writer then making a habit out of using this planner may come in handy and build your confidence with the written word. You may as well get the ball rolling whilst you're at university, because after all, who doesn’t want to get a great grade?! Key skills

6. Can Improve Wellbeing

Using an academic diary can not only benefit your academic performance but it can also help to improve your mental health by reducing stress and anxiety levels. One way in which keeping a diary can help fight these overwhelming feelings is through taking control of your workload, by prioritising you’ll feel less stressed out and able to manage tasks required of you. Not to mention by being more organised you’ll sleep better. As we mentioned earlier, you can also use a diary to reflect on your feelings about certain topics of module subjects which will improve your wellbeing too, providing yourself with somewhere to channel your negative feelings will help you relieve any tension. Improve wellbeing

With all this in mind, why not begin using an academic diary to help with studying at uni?! If you haven't previously used one, then try it out and see if it works for you during the next term. Check out our recommendations below.

Where To Get An Academic Diary

You can be THAT student by personalising your diary to suit you and your academic life, it’s up to you how you make it work. You may want to go through and add in all your key dates and assignment deadlines in advance, or you may want to go through day by day and adding in more relevant information. We suggest taking it with you to all your lectures and seminars and using lots of colours, to jazz things up! Check out our recommendations of the best academic diaries to make use of and seize the day at university for the 2022/2023 academic year. Yep, they are student friendly, so your bank account doesn’t have to take a massive hit. via GIPHY

This Is Your Year, Week to View with Notes Mid-Year Diary A5Price: £3.70 Where To Buy: WHSmith
Joy Hardback Academic Diary 2022-2023Price: £25 Where To Buy: Papier
Blue Moon, Academic Diary 2022-2023 Week to ViewPrice: £7.99 Where To Buy: Amazon
Let’s Do This, Inspire A5 Week to View Diary 2022-2023Price: £9.99 Where To Buy: Letts of London

There really are so many different types of academic diaries to utilise, go out and search to see which one is the best for you to keep you organised for the year ahead. Not to mention, see which size, type, and colour stationery is your vibe. Personalisation is key when it comes to keeping a diary, you can choose whichever style and make it look however you want. After all, its September now so it’s a perfect time to get your hands on one! There may even be some special offers for students so it's worth having a shop around at discounts. We hope this blog has been helpful for you and has convinced you to start using an academic diary to help with studying, you can thank us later. You may just find that your student accommodation has dedicated study areas so you can stay motivated planning in your academic diary! Are you wondering whether you need a TV license as a student at university? We have a blog which discusses this here.

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How to Start Using An Academic Diary To Help With Studying