How to plan for projects and exams: Backwards planning 101 video

Hello, this is Seth with SethPerler.com, and I’m here today to talk to you about backwards planning.

Right now it’s December 2014, and I have a lot of students who are getting ready for finals this weekend. Winter break is coming up soon, and as you know, in middle school, high school, and college, this is the time to prepare for final exams.

One thing all the students I work with have in common is that they struggle with planning. This is related to executive function—basically, the brain’s ability to figure out what steps are required and realistically manage time. This can be very challenging.

So one of the things I do with students during big projects or exams is called “backwards planning.”

Let me explain how it works.

You start by identifying all your exams. For example, let’s say on Friday you have a science exam and a math exam. Whether you use a wall planner, Google Calendar, iCal, or a paper planner, you first write all your exams down.

For example:

• Science exam at 2 PM

• Math exam at 3 PM

• Language Arts exam on the 18th

• Social Studies exam on the 17th

Get everything mapped out clearly.

Now we move to studying.

The goal is to move information into long-term memory, not short-term memory. Cramming only puts information into short-term memory. You can actually study less total time and learn more if you spread studying out in smaller segments.

For example, instead of studying for 2 hours the night before, you might study for 30 minutes over three different days. That creates stronger long-term memory.

So let’s say today is the 11th. We start planning backwards from the exam dates.

The night before your math and science exams, you will likely need focused study time. For example:

• Study math for 60 minutes

• Study science for 60 minutes

You can schedule this precisely, such as:

• Math: 4–5 PM

• Science: 7–8 PM

The more specific you are, the better.

You can also adjust depending on workload, but the key is that you are building a plan—even if you don’t follow it perfectly.

For the night before the Language Arts exam, you might:

• Study Language Arts for 60 minutes

• Review math for 20 minutes

• Review science for 20 minutes

This gives you about 1 hour and 40 minutes total, while focusing most on what is coming next.

For the day before the Social Studies exam, you might focus heavily on that subject:

• Social Studies: 60 minutes

• Language Arts: 30 minutes

• Math: 15 minutes

• Science: 15 minutes

That’s about 2 hours total, with emphasis on the most immediate exam.

Earlier days are used to build up exposure gradually:

• One day might be 60 minutes of science, 30 minutes of math, 30 minutes of social studies

• Another day might focus more on the hardest subject, like math

• A Sunday might include 45 minutes per subject across all classes

As you spread this out, you might end up with 3 hours on one day, 2 hours on another, and so on. Be realistic about what you can handle.

It doesn’t matter if you follow the plan exactly. What matters is that you make the plan. The act of planning builds awareness, intention, and control.

Now let’s look at the long-term result.

If we add up all the time spent on math across several days, it might look like:

• 60 minutes here

• 20 minutes there

• 15 minutes another day

• 30 minutes another day

• 45 minutes on another day

Altogether, that becomes about 4–5 hours of math study spread out over time.

That is far more effective than cramming the night before, because it builds long-term memory instead of short-term memorization.

Think of it like this:

Short-term memory is temporary and unstable. Long-term memory is stable and lasting. Instead of cramming all at once, you are gradually moving information into long-term memory through repeated exposure.

This method—backwards planning—is about “leapfrogging” your learning forward by building it step by step.

So again, this is called backwards planning. It’s especially useful for middle school, high school, and college students, and it can also be used for elementary students working on projects.

It works for any long-term task: studying for exams, writing projects, or major assignments in any subject.

That’s it for today. I hope you’re doing awesome, and I’ll see you soon. Take care.