Post-It Note Calendar

 

Many students with executive function deficits benefit from visuals to help them plan and organize. I recently learned about the Post-It Note Calendar, which may appeal to students with any of the organizational styles that I discussed yesterday.

Which executive function skills can a Post-It Note Calendar help develop?

• Planning: Planning ahead to visually see when homework is due and what needs to be done each day.
• Organization: Organize homework assignments by writing them on Post-Its and placing the Post-It on the calendar. If one Post-It is used for each assignment, this method can also be used to see assignments piling up and allow for easy visual reorganization of assignments and tasks.
• Time management: The use of a calendar can be helpful in breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
• Task initiation: A calendar that a student can use independently encourages task initiation, because now they don't need anyone to tell them what needs to be done each day.
• Goal directed persistence: A visual calendar, like a Post-It Note Calendar can help a student see what smaller tasks need to be done each day in order to accomplish a larger, more long-term goal.

Back to those organizational styles that were discussed yesterday.

• Visual organizers will like the Post-It Note Calendar because it allows for color coding and provides a visual of what needs to be done.
• Spatial/cozy organizers will want to choose the colors to make the calendar "feel right" to them.
• Chronological/sequential organizers will like being able to see how tasks will be completed sequentially.

How to make a Post-It Calendar:

• The easiest way would be to purchase the Post-It Calendar seen at the top of this page. You can also check here to find a store near you that sells this calendar.
• If you're looking for a more customizable calendar, then a quick Google or Pinterest search will give you plenty of DIY Post-It note calendar options. I personally really like this one from Martha Stewart. I find it clean and crisp, and it just "feels right," which appeals to my spatial/cozy organizational style.
• Whether you buy a Post-It Note Calendar or make one yourself, you can use a resealable adhesive glue stick to make your own sticky notes to add to the calendar. This might include posting pictures of tasks onto the calendar, which may be especially helpful to visual organizers.