12 credits, three jobs, and a leadership position. Sounds intense, right? Well, it is. Somehow I have managed to overbook myself my junior year of college, and still stay afloat in all aspects of my life. I have learned how to keep myself organized so that I can stay on top of all of my responsibilities while performing them well and staying somewhat sane.
- Planners.
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I have three planners that I use every single day. One is a full-sized weekly-monthly planner that I write in my assignments and timed responsibilities. This is where I keep track of when I have my classes, where I need to be at any given time, and any meetings I have to attend. My second planner is a handheld weekly-monthly planner that I use to keep track of posting schedules for my social media leadership responsibilities, and any content notes I need to be aware of. This planner takes care of both my leadership position and one of my jobs. My third planner is a flat lay weekly planner so that I keep all of my responsibilities in one place and plan tasks hourly. These three planners help me to stay organized because I can compartmentalize my responsibilities but also see them all together so I can efficiently plan out my time each day.
- Communication.
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I am in constant contact with my peers, managers, and friends in order to stay organized. By keeping in touch via text, Slack, and video meetings, I am able to keep track of everything that is going on in my life through my phone. Communication is key and in order to stay organized, you need to be in the loop and on the same page with anyone you might be working with.
- Set aside specific times for breaks.
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If you go into the day without knowing when you will have time for a break, you will burn yourself out pretty harshly. I always make sure that there is a period of time set aside for me to have free time where I am not doing anything related to my responsibilities so that I’m not wearing myself too thin each day. I try to give myself at least a 30-minute window each day to do whatever I feel like outside of work.
These are some ways to organize your life so that you don’t get consumed by all of the responsibilities you have. I hope these tips help you, they have definitely helped me!