How to Stay Organized All Semester

How to Stay Organized All Semester Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/organizer-calendar-schedule-791939/ The best way to keep on top of your stuff is to find a planning/calendar method that works for you. I personally love having a paper planner where I physically write down assignments, activities, appointments, etc., but other people prefer to have their calendar on their phones and/or computers. Regardless of which method you choose, it is important to choose one method and to stick to it. If you are a pretty disorganized person, you need to start out the planning process by mapping out your entire week to the best of your ability (I know people who even schedule study breaks so they stay on top of the material). Here is a list of things to put in your planner: Homework assignments (write an assignment on the date that it’s due… if it’s a long-term assignment, have a reminder of it each week saying 2/6 weeks before the assignment is due) Appointments (never miss a doctor’s appointment or an office hour again, just write down the day of the appointment and, if you need, write down small reminders of the appointment until the actual day) Tests, quizzes, and exams (this is way different than homework assignments because, along with writing when the actual assessment is, you need to also write down dates and times in which you plan to study… you will never feel unprepared for an assessment again) Events (whether it’s a mixer, a birthday, a girl’s night, date night, or anything, you want to have a reminder of it so you can plan accordingly in regards to your homework and appointments… if you have a big event the weekend before exam week, you will visibly see it in your planner and plan your studying around that) It will take some time to get used to if you aren’t a person who usually writes everything down, but it will eventually become a habit and you will be so happy about your new organization technique. Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/young-woman-girl-lady-female-work-791849/ After you have your calendar/planner situation all figured out and organized, you will begin to see patterns that will help you work on your time management. If you have all exam dates and event dates written down, you will understand the amount of time you need to study and the days that you are actually able to study. If you see that you have an exam in two weeks, but the week right before the exam is packed, you will know to block out a few hours each day to study the material. If you want to make the most out of your study time, here are some tricks that I’ve learned over the years: Put your phone on do-not-disturb (only people in your favorites will cause your phone to ring, but all other notifications are silenced so that you don’t get distracted by random Instagram notifications) Only use your computer if necessary (when people are on their computers, they are much more prone to distractions, like online shopping, so only pull out your computer if it’s imperative; otherwise, go the old-fashion route and use a notebook and pen) Bring multiple subjects with you for the ride (I have a hard time studying just one subject for hours on end, so I always bring a smaller homework assignment from a different class to break up the monotony) Bring a big bottle of water and a few snacks (if you are prepared with food and water, you will not only feel energized, but you won’t have a need to run to Starbucks to pick up something really quick and lose your study spot in the library) It may not seem like a lot, but these two fixes will ensure that you are on top of everything this semester. If there is something really important that you need to remember to do, set multiple reminders on your phone, write it down, set alarms, and ask a family member or friend to hold you accountable for said event or assignment. You got this, you’re doing great already! The first step of change is to do the research, which you did by reading this article! Good luck!