Being in high school can seem like the most stressful time for teenagers. Then college happens. The mountains of papers, homework, and exams to study for can become never ending. It sounds terrifying, but with the proper organizational skills you might actually be able to survive college!
Write down your entire life
When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. You might think you’ll be able remember that history paper but with that Bio exam coming up and that other paper, it can get to be overwhelming. You might even want to write down time for lunch because yes, that’s how busy you can get. I suggest getting a fun and colorful agenda. They’re cute to look at and motivate you to write in them (at least for me it does). Check out these cute Lilly Pulitzer ones here.
Stick to a Routine
Having a routine in college is crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and staying organized. Getting breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the same time every day may seem impossible but once you get into the habit of waking up, getting breakfast, working out, and doing homework it’ll become less of a chore and more of a healthy habit. If you stick to a schedule, you’ll see that finding time to do work won’t be as overwhelming.
Give Yourself a Deadline
Obviously your professors do this for you (ugh), but giving yourself your own personal deadline allows you to create time for yourself. If your history paper is due at 11:59 on Thursday don’t wait until 9 to start it. Maybe give yourself a deadline of Wednesday night so you can still go out with your friends or binge your favorite Netflix show. Never wait until the last minute!
Keep all of your Syllabi where you can see them
I actually learned this one from my roommate, the neatest neat freak of them all. Keeping all of your syllabi hanging up in front of your desk definitely makes you more inclined to read them every single day, making sure you never forget about anything.
Set goals for yourself (and reward yourself for completing them)
Keeping yourself motivated is one of the hardest things to do in college. It’s so hard not to lie in bed all day and watch Netflix. You keep telling yourself you’ll do that paper later. But we all know later you will be panicking one hour before it’s due. What I found most helpful in college is breaking everything into chunks and allowing yourself time in between do the things you want. Maybe give yourself a 20 minute break to watch TV or take a 30 minute nap after you read a couple boring chapters. Anything you want.
Give yourself Credit
COLLEGE IS HARD. While that might seem obvious, I really think that some people tend to forget that college isn’t meant to be high school and it isn’t meant to be easy at all. It’s meant to challenge you. So when you fail an exam or are about to have a mental breakdown over a pile of unfinished homework just take a deep breath and give yourself credit for everything you’re doing and continue to do they best you can.