Problem-first guide
How to stop forgetting assignment deadlines without a planner app
Last updated September 3, 2026
Use one plain deadline list for every class, even if each professor posts work somewhere different. Record the due date, the first action, and a personal start date, then check the list after your first class and before you stop studying for the day.
The list can be a pinned note, a paper card, or calendar events. What matters is that new assignments enter the same system within a day and large assignments get an earlier start reminder instead of one alert at the submission deadline.
Or hand it to Pally
Free to start. No app to install.
A practical approach
What to do.
- 01
Make one deadline list
Create a single note with sections for each class. For every assignment, write the course, exact due date and time, submission location, and next physical action, such as read the prompt or choose a topic. Copy deadlines from every syllabus at the start of the term, then add new work from class announcements and email. A plain note is fast and searchable, but it will not alert you by itself, so the review routine in the next step carries more weight.
- 02
Add a start date
Put a personal start date beside every item that takes more than one sitting. Work backward from the due date and reserve the first small action, such as finding two sources on Tuesday or drafting the introduction Thursday. The start date should describe work you can begin in under half an hour. This adds judgment when you capture the assignment, but it prevents a calendar full of due dates from telling you about the work only when there is no time left.
- 03
Review at two anchors
Read the list at two events that already happen, such as after your first class and when you plug in your phone at night. During the morning review, choose the assignment you will move today. During the evening review, mark what changed and add anything announced in class. Fixed anchors work better than relying on motivation, although a manual review can still fail during travel or exams. Put a repeating alarm on your phone if either check keeps slipping.
- 04
Use reminders for exceptions
Set alerts for unusual deadlines, long projects, and anything due at a time other than the course's normal pattern. Use at least one alert for the start date and another far enough before submission to recover from a problem. Avoid creating several alerts for every small task because repeated notifications become background noise. The trade-off is selectivity: your list remains the complete record, while alerts are reserved for deadlines that are easy to misread or expensive to miss.
The Pally option
The short version: text Pally
Pally is one option if reminders are easier to act on when they arrive as texts. It can keep scheduled reminders going until you state that the work is done, read connected Gmail for messages with deadlines, and include open commitments in a morning brief. You still need to give it deadlines that only appear inside an unconnected course portal.
The friendly nag
Hand pally the thing you keep putting off. It won't forget, and it won't let you either.
See the recipeMorning brief
One text every morning with what actually matters: your day, your inbox, and the things you said you'd do.
See the recipeInbox, triaged
Ask what actually needs you. Pally reads the pile, flags the few, and drafts the replies.
See the recipeTodo catcher
Every "can you…" buried in a busy thread becomes a task pally tracks. Nothing slips.
See the recipeOptions
Other tools people use
Fair alternatives, including ones that overlap with Pally.
DormWay
DormWay fits students who want a free planner that syncs Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle and can turn uploaded syllabi into a timeline.
Deadlines outside its supported course systems and uploaded syllabi still need separate capture.
Apple Reminders
Apple Reminders fits students who want shared lists, dates, and alerts on Apple devices.
It still depends on you to copy every assignment out of each course system.
Todoist
Todoist fits students who want recurring reviews, priorities, and course labels in a dedicated task tool.
It adds another inbox to maintain, which is the exact failure point for some students.
Questions
Frequently asked questions.
What should I do when a professor changes a deadline?+
Update the master list first, then move its start date and alerts. Delete the old date so search results and old notifications cannot send you in two directions.
Should I put every reading on the list?+
List readings that have a deadline or feed a graded discussion, quiz, or assignment. Put routine reading in a recurring study block so the deadline list stays easy to scan.
How often should I check Canvas or another course site?+
Check it once at a consistent time on class days and copy new work into your master list. More frequent checking rarely fixes a weak capture habit.
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