Top 10 Ways To Stay Organized:
Let’s not kid ourselves, college is hard. I’ll admit I’ve had my fair share of breakdowns. Most of them have been because I didn’t organize myself properly. Being organized is key to be successful in college. So here are my top 10 ways to stay organized and be less stressed. Hope these you guys find these useful!
1. Planner. I wrote about always carrying one in my bag on the guest post I did for @study-at-the-disco.
Having a planner whether it’s paper or digital is crucial to keep tabs on assignments due dates and exam days. I use a paper one (I prefer the ones where it has the month and then has the weeks) and I also use google calendar (although I use it more for appointments, class schedules, bills due & lately I’ve been trying to get in the habit of putting exams and assignments down). The mere fact of writing it down and knowing that I wrote it down helps me remember it better. Plus it gives me a type of satisfaction.
2. Planning out assignments. Speaking about planners and due dates. Planning out assignments and writing down the days that you’re going to dedicate time to them is very useful. It gives you wriggle room and if you do this you can actually finish the assignment before the due date. That way you’re not up all the night on the last day trying to do it and end up handing in a half-assed assignment. Sometimes we leave the simple things for the day before and it turns out they weren’t so simple and needed more attention. Keep that last one in mind.
3. Trying to do/start assignments on the same day that they are given. Okay so obviously if it’s a 10-page paper you need to plan it out. But if it’s something small that won’t take as much time, you should try to do it so you get it out of the way. But the key is to start as early as you can, so you have time to fix things. Remember things can go wrong!! The printer can run out of ink, your laptop (god forbid) can get lost, you can get sick… the earlier you start the better.
4. Folders. I mentioned I always keep one in my bag. They help me keep important documents safe and secure. But you can also keep a folder per class and organize everything related to that class in the folder. That way when you’re looking for something specific you know where to find it.
5. Calendar. Besides the digital planner and the paper planner, I keep a wall calendar on my door and a weekly one on my desk. That way I’m always surrounded my due dates and know when I have events. It seems a bit excessive but it really helps me keep track.
6. Post its. Keeping them in my bag and my desk is a must. I’m always writing things down and having them in post its helps me. They’re very useful when studying too! Sometimes when I’m in class I’ll take one and write down an idea or maybe a due date or a homework I have due. And then I add it to my planner.
7. Syllabus! It is very important that you keep a copy of your class syllabus. They have the important dates on them and it is crucial that you go every detail of your syllabus so you don’t miss out on them. Do not, I repeat, do not throw them out even after you’re done with the course. Store them somewhere safe maybe an accordion folder or a digital file.
8. Flash Drive. For me having a flash drive is crucial for your college career. You need one to store all the important documents and assignments and have them with you all the time. Yes, I know we have clouds now and technology has advanced, but even then technology fails, the internet goes down… play it safe and keep them in a flash drive.
9. To do lists. When you write down the tasks you have to do it helps you with working on getting them done. I literally use to do lists for everything. My walls are always filled with them and posts it here and there with tasks to be done. You can do them digitally too! I do that sometimes.
10. Keep a copy of the university’s yearly calendar. This is very important!! This way you know when you can add or drop a class, when are the breaks, finals, and payments are due. Also, you can keep an eye out for campus events you would like to attend.
This is it for this Friday. Hope you guys enjoyed it and found it useful. Remember that requests are open. Feel free to stop by my page and talk to me.
