College is most high school student’s sweet escape. It is such an exciting place where you can widen your horizon and explore more of your interest. But, take note, it’s not always going to be fun. A college student’s life is busy, balancing your academic life and social life is no joke when you have a full workload. Thus, it all boils down to how you stay organized despite your busy college life.
Tips for Staying Organized in College
Being organized will help you adapt to the transition between high school to college life. Not only that, it will help you maintain your sanity and will also help you with your academics. A study showed that the reason for students’ problems like late work, unpreparedness, and lax attitudes, has a relation to the students’ organizational method or the lack thereof. If you are terrible at organizing, do not worry for this is only the start for you. Find out how to stay organized and on top of things amidst the demanding life of a college student.
Keep a Calendar
Do not rely on your brain alone. The schedule of classes in college is different from when you are in high school. Not to mention the projects you have to do, their due dates, appointments, etc. Keeping all that information in mind will only cause you stress. Rather than remembering it all, write everything down in a calendar. You can use either a digital calendar, where you can bring everywhere, or a wall calendar, where you can see everything in one place.
Here are some significant events in a semester you have to write in your calendar as listed by collegeinfogeek.com.
- Class times
- Study time
- Important due dates (exams, term papers, etc.)
- Meetings with professors/tutors
- Club/extracurricular meetings
- Dorm/apartment move-in/move-out dates
- Work schedule (if you have a part-time job)
- Payment due dates (credit card, rent, any other important expenses)
Make a to-do-lists
To make sure you are on top of things and won’t forget a single task to accomplish, do yourself a favor and make a to-do-lists. With your full workload, there is a high chance you will forget to write an essay or doing homework.
Allot a few minutes of your time every day and go over the things you need to accomplish the next day or for the week. Make sure to write everything down so you won’t leave a single task unaccomplished.
Avoid Overload
One of the reasons why keeping a calendar is important is for you to know how tight or open your schedule is. There will be extra school activities you want to be a part of, but be careful in choosing. Consider your availability; academics, meeting with groups/ professors, and going to your part-time job is hard enough. Make sure to make time for yourself as well.
Plan your week
Before doing the tasks on your to-do list, you have to check when the deadlines or due dates of a certain task first. In that way, you can decide what specific task to prioritize.
It is not enough to only keep tabs on your schedules, deadlines, and your to-do list. You also have to plan what you should do first. There will be times when your academic life will take so much of your time because of the many things you have to do. Multitasking is out of the option since it won’t do you any good. Thus, planning your day or week will help you to finish everything on time without leaving anything out.
Organize your school bag every night
I couldn’t count how many times I went to school forgetting a notebook, book, pen, etc. Back then, I used to put everything I need in my bag in the morning before class. When you are in a rush, simply it is easy for you to forget and leave important things behind. I’ve learned my lesson after the many times it happened to me. You should too.
Pack your bag every night. Put everything you need according to your schedule the next day. In the morning you won’t have to hurry, all you need is to check if you have all the things that you need.