You can buy a Weekly Planner, but it’s just as easy (and more fun) to make one. Either way, here’s how to make the most of it:

1. A good Weekly Planner will show the entire week on one page, or on two pages that face each other. With one glance, you’ll be able to see how your schedule looks for the 7-day period.

2. Under the date for each day, there should be squares or lines representing the hours, so you can write in each task or event at the correct time, like a 5:00 p.m. dentist appointment or a 6:00 p.m. astronomy club meeting.

3. Looking at your appointments and activities for the whole week will help you picture and predict how it will play out. You should be able to see possible conflicts, like two events that overlap, or other problems, like too many major assignments due on the same day.

4. When you find conflicts or schedule problems, you can work towards solving them. This might mean rescheduling an appointment, or getting a particular assignment done a few days early so you’ll have time to do the other one as well.

5. At the beginning of each week, make sure you check your Monthly Calendar to include any other important dates.

6. Like with a Daily Planner, it’s a good idea to color code your Weekly Planner so you’ll easily see what’s going on.

7. Take your Weekly Planner with you everywhere, so you can write down assignments and appointments when you first learn about them, and double-check to see if you can make a certain commitment, like meeting your friends at the movies.