If you are reading this post,  you probably have a smartphone.  If you are also in college or working, you probably have a laptop, tablet, or another large device that you use throughout your day.  

Do you suffer from time-blindness?  That is a common symptom of several learning differences and it can make otherwise good intentions and scheduled to-do items go by the wayside.  Years ago we didn’t have the technology we have now. I offer for your consideration a list of tasks to  maximize your devices:

Ensure all important personal emails go into a central mailbox on your phone. Work  

1. Pick a master calendar for entering appointments that will show up on your laptop or larger device too. This is usually the same as your account login to your device.  

2. Take the schedule you have created and set your calendar

   1. Add every class, every obligation, etc.  

   2. Put everything on repeat until the end of the marking period

   3. Enter a reminder and a notice to either head home or start getting ready for bed every night before bedtime

   4. Enter any holidays/breaks/days off in your calendar as well.  Plan ahead for breaks the way you plan to study so you can get the most out of them.  

   5. If you take any medication or supplements, set a daily reminder at a time that makes sense in your schedule - when you are most likely to take them or when you need to take them.  

3. Check your notifications for apps on your smartphone.  Turn off notifications for everything except text messages, reminders, and calendar alerts.  

4. Download www.grammarly.com keyboards to your phones/tablets and install the chrome extension which works with most learning management apps.

5. Set up an account on www.grammarly.com to check all assignments for plagiarism, grammar, spelling mistakes, and missed citations and sources.

6. Bookmark www.scribbr.com to generate citations for you in APA and other styles

7. Ensure that notifications are set up from your master calendar on your laptop or tablet.  Wear a fitness tracker/smartwatch if it helps to receive physical notifications when not using a larger device.  

8. Set your phone to automatically enter sleep mode at bedtime and wake up when you do.  

9. Some phones even have focus modes to turn off all notifications but the ones listed above also have a screen focus mode as well as to hide non-essential distractions while trying to get things done.   

Using the technology tools at your disposal can help you to be in control of your calendar, and start to conquer time-blindness.