Another semester, another set of lessons I get to learn — in the classroom and life. Heading into my junior year, I wanted to be efficient. I planned my courses, made a detailed notion page, and thought I was setting myself up for the most successful semester of my college career. Until the first week hit. Within only a few days, I went from feeling prepared, to scrambling.
Once I was able to get everything sorted out, I knew it was time to reevaluate what was working and what wasn’t. After shedding extraneous items, I found that the most basic tools and skills that were helping me the most. I was left with what — three weeks into the semester — has helped me stay organized and, honestly, content.
Google Calendar
For a long time, I used physical planners, thinking they would be best for me, but most of the time, I would forget them at home. Unfortunately, when they’re not with me, they’re not useful.
Carrying my laptop everyday, Google Calendar is the best way for me to keep track of everything. As I learn about assignments and events, it’s easy to type them into the calendar. I used to try and rely on my ability to remember, telling myself, You’ll remember that, you don’t have to write it down. Only for a due date to come around, and panicking to complete the task, realize that no, I didn’t remember it.
One of the nice aspects of the website is that I can make my calendar look how I want it to. Currently, the background is a landscape painting, decorated with color-coordinated sections for each of my classes, clubs, or personal projects. If you’re struggling to find — or just don’t want to spend time searching — for colors, there are so many TikToks of people sharing the custom color schemes that they make for Google Calendar. These are just a few of the ways that I made a digital version of my planner feel personal and catered to me.
Chrome Extensions for Canvas
Chrome Extensions are a simple way to personalize your Canvas and make it less irritating to open. An extension that allows you to customize the most aspects at once is Better Canvas.
It allows you to customize — among other traits — the theme of your Canvas page. There are public themes that others have made; however, this semester, I made my own. I love Wes Anderson, and there is something so whimsical about opening my canvas and seeing gifs from scenes of his movies.
Additionally, you can customize your canvas so that the assignments you need to complete, your semester GPA, and more appear. After finishing all my tasks, it’s nice to receive confetti for the entire weekend, before new homework is added.
Finding New Study and Coffee Spots
CU Boulder’s campus is so big; and when the stress of classes and work becomes overwhelming, it can feel like a lot to explore new study spots. It’s such a comfort to have your study spot. However, sometimes your usual seat in the library gets taken by someone else, or the line out of the coffee shop is actually atrocious. This could be a sign that you should explore somewhere new.
Have I been waiting in the same coffee shop line for the last week and a half — just to get another matcha and stamp my punch card — even though I told myself I need to stop buying matcha out? Yes; but, I’ve found a few new study spots, so I feel like it balances out. It’s intimidating to try a new study space because maybe it just isn’t right or you can’t focus, and it feels like a waste of time. Sometimes though, it can be a way to see a new part of campus, and perhaps you’ll find a better spot.
Holding Onto the Things That Bring Me Joy
I’ve described my newfound love for technology upgrades, but I don’t think I’ll ever stop taking physical notes. I love my handwriting, and selfishly, I just want to be able to flip through my notebooks. It’s definitely more time-consuming to take written notes, but studies prove writing helps improve your learning. At the same time, it’s something that brings me joy.
I’ve also been stopping to take a photo of every bunny, squirrel, deer, dog, sunset, or generally positive moment, and it’s been a nice way for me to track my semester. Sometimes we focus on the moments that were particularly difficult or upsetting — something I am no stranger to. This semester, though, I’m trying to capture and look at the positive moments that are constantly happening.
There are a lot of things people sacrifice over the course of the semester for the sake of getting things done or feeling less stressed. However, it’s important to make time for anything that brings joy to your day. There are things that have to get done, but there is so much time — more than it might seem — to get things done.
These are just a few ways that I’m making this semester easier and more enjoyable for myself. Sometimes, the assignments are challenging and the coffee shop lines are just awful. However, looking at my beautiful canvas and campus adds positivity to a place that previously didn’t have any.