Welcome back to classes! Syllabus week is in the books and if you’re anything like me, you now have a stack of papers you won’t bother to look at again until it’s time to clean out the ole backpack in May. For any freshman reading this, you’ve had a whole semester to figure out this whole college, ‘adulting’ thing. Your GPA has probably seen better days, but you had a great first semester (C’s get degrees right?). For us seniors, graduation could not come fast enough.
Just like in the fall, the first couple of weeks back will be full of the chaos of trying to find and establish a routine. There always seems to be that one professor who forgets that their class is not the only one in your course load, and that guy you were kind of seeing but totally ghosted over break is looking to try again (will he ever get the hint?). The good news is, Professor I’m-The-Only-One’s agenda can be thwarted with some simple and careful planning. By following a few simple organization tips, you can ensure a smooth sailing semester (minus that awkward problem of can’t-catch-a-hint).
If mental breakdowns and cheap glasses of wine are what got you through last semester, it might be time to look into some organization. Following these tips won’t guarantee that you are successful, but anything is better than crying over Ben and Jerry’s at 2 o’clock in the morning the day before an exam.
- Get a Planner
If you don’t already have a planner, get one. Can’t afford one? Try printing out your own. You can click here to find options for creating your own planner and here to find chic motivational stickers and accessories to vamp up your printables.
- Use the Syllabus
Those syllabi you have for all your classes do more than tell you what course you’re taking; most have a tentative assignment calendar. Do yourself a favor and write them all in that planner now before you find a new Netflix series to binge watch for the rest of the semester.
- Get a Calendar
You probably already have a cutesy calendar on your wall, but get one that you can put beside your desk to supplement your planner. The big paper ones work great for planning out vacations, recording multiple assignments, logging study group sessions and more.
- Do Not Procrastinate!
Easier said than done right? Why complete it today when you can do it five minutes before it’s due? Waiting until the last minute creates stress that you don’t need. Even if you think you do well under pressure, do NOT leave that huge research paper until the day before it is due. You pay hundreds of dollars for classes so that you can learn, not so that you can cram the entire semester into one coffee induced study session and forget it all immediately after taking the exam.
- Form a Study Group
You didn’t make all those friends last semester for nothing right? Form a study group to help keep you on task for those times when doing math homework is the LAST thing you would rather be doing on your weekends.
- Write Everything Down
No, I’m not saying that you need to write down every word your professor says during lecture (in fact, you should really only be writing key terms and themes,) but rather, write down important dates, times, and tasks instead of trying to remember them all throughout the day.
Organization is a task best practiced every day. If you are willing to commit a few minutes of every day to writing down what you need to do, where you want to be and even a few inspirational words along the way, you are sure to have a smooth semester. You may even find that you have some extra personal time. I use mine to take leisurely walks to the fridge and write articles that I hope you all enjoy.
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