The need to be organized in college will forever be a catch 22: the busier you are, the harder it is to stay organized, but it is most important to stay organized when you’re busy. Being someone who has a hard time staying organized, I’ve decided to compile some of my favorite ways to stay organized and live easy. Enjoy!
1. Use Google Calendar.
This is a recent addition to my life, and it’s the best choice I’ve ever made. The iPhone app automatically reminds you where to be or what to do ten minutes before the schedule, which is perfect for schedule change or meetings you might forget about.
2. Use an agenda.
As much as I do love Google Calendar, it can never replace an agenda. There is no better way to mark due dates and record homework assignments than in agenda. I’ve tried just using the syllabus for each class and crossing out assignments as I go, but it’s not the same. Bonus: they come in a variety of colors and patterns, making them a fashionable yet professional accessory.
3. Color-code.
At a glance, you can tell if your meeting is for a certain class or club, who it’s with, or where it is. Reading a description for a meeting or looking inside of a folder doesn’t exactly take long, but doing a quick color is much faster in a pinch. Also, color-coding is fun and the product is aesthetically pleasing. Enough said.
4. Find a note-taking format that works for you.
Note organization is tricky, because different tactics work for different people. The key to having organized notes is finding a format that works for you and sticking with it, whether that means lots of thought bubbles or six different highlighters.
5. Use a budgeting app.
Going to college is hard on the wallet––this is a fact. However, using a budgeting app is a great way to keep your spending and saving habits in check. Being organized about finances can be difficult, but having an app like WellSpent on your phone is immensely helpful. Disorganization is just asking for a financial pickle (not the good kind), and preventing it will save you a lot of trouble in the future.
6. Toss what you don’t need.
Toss what you don’t need, literally and figuratively. Clutter only makes it harder to stay organized. Last semester, I opted to get a five-subject notebook instead of using a bunch of small ones, and it was extremely helpful. Having all of my notes condensed to one place means you can never have the wrong notebook, and there is nothing worse than having the wrong notebook (it happens to the best of us).
7. Make a to-do list.
At the very least, the satisfaction of crossing things off of a list is a good enough reason to make one (sometimes, I write down things I’ve already done for the satisfaction of crossing them out).
8. Label everything.
When has labeling things been unhelpful? Even if it’s not necessary with notebooks and folders (I think it is), you’ll at the very least know where everything is when you need it––this is especially helpful when you’re in a rush and need to find something in negative seconds.
9. Keep a journal.
Keeping a journal is a great place to make to-do lists, but it is also helpful to keep your thoughts organized and in one place. This is proven not only to be helpful in improving one’s overall wellbeing, but also in looking back to see what worked and what didn’t––in terms of organization and life choices.
10. Prioritize.
To me, this is most important when trying to stay organized. If you know your priorities are, you’ll always know what to do first, what to do last, what to skip, and what to drop (if you have to). Prioritizing can be as simple as knowing that a class is more important than a club and stepping back from a club during midterms.
Organization isn’t for everyone, and nothing is foolproof. If you are looking to get more organized or are eager to find new ways to organize your life, I hope these tips can make your day a little easier (and a little more fun).
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