By: Rachel Bednarz
When I first started college I severely struggled with staying organized and remembering all the tasks I had. I was frequently writing myself notes in my phone, on my planner and in random notebooks that would get lost and forgotten.
As a junior in college, I entered my second year as a resident assistant, accepted an internship and stepped into a leadership role in my organization. I knew I had to do more to stay organized and better serve the people who looked up to me.
Beginning a journey for better organization habits can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips I have found for starting the new semester in a calm, cool and organized manner.
Maintain a Study Schedule
First, my secret to homework success. I’ve learned to start a new homework routine by scheduling one hour a day Monday through Thursday to work on homework. Take Friday and Saturday to rest and recharge before evaluating the system on Sunday.
Use Sunday to pick up all the pieces and finish things you didn't have time to do during the week. Then evaluate whether one hour a day works for you or if you need to increase it. I also use Sunday to organize my planner and write a to-do list for the week ahead.
This system has helped me start many semesters off on the right foot and remain organized throughout the year.
Use your planner
Whether it’s physical or virtual, a planner is an amazing tool for scheduling out your time and ensuring you aren’t overbooked. If you’re someone who has never used a planner before starting can seem impossible, but remember this is a tool for you and you can use it however you want.
An easy way to start is by putting your class and meeting schedules into an online calendar like Outlook or Google. These planners allow you to add notes and even share your meetings with other people who are invited.
If you’re wanting to go the physical route, January is the perfect time to go planner shopping. With a physical planner you can write out deadlines, meeting times and make notes for yourself along the way.
Organize your deadlines
Keeping a running list of your deadlines throughout the semester can help you stay on top of what is due next and keep an eye out for projects that could creep up on you.
One way to do this is to organize your deadlines into an Excel or Google spreadsheet. If your instructor has provided a course schedule in the syllabus, work through each week and log the most important due dates. Once you have worked through each course, you can sort the entire sheet by date.
Using this method, you can print out the sheet and carry it with you or keep a copy on your computer and continue to update it as the semester carries on.
Use a reminder app
There are countless apps dedicated to keeping your school life organized. Apps like My Study Life or Notion will send you a reminder notification before your class starts or when you have an assignment due.
These apps can be helpful if you’re not sure where to start when setting up your planner and have a simple interface that allows you to design the layout and reminders that work best for you.
The takeaways
Staying organized can seem stressful and overwhelming, but with the help of some online or physical tools you can stay on top of everything you need to accomplish this semester.
