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How to Stay Organized in College

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter.

Balancing classes, extracurriculars, a social life, and “me time” in college can be a challenge. It may seem like there is never enough time to get everything done, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some tips that I found to be extremely helpful in keeping me organized!

 

Invest in a planner

This may seem like an obvious one, but my planner is literally my lifeline. I found that writing everything down really helps me organize my tasks. Being able to visually lay out my week is good for avoiding schedule conflicts and prioritizing deadlines. Planners are also great for keeping track of your goals!

 

Color code

Ever been in such a hurry to get to class that you’re not paying attention and grab the wrong notebook? I definitely have and it’s not fun. Color coding by class can be very helpful for keeping notes and assignments together. The past couple of years I got into the habit of buying different color notebooks for each of my courses. I found that doing this has really worked for me, so trying this technique might be worth a shot!

 

Set reminders on your phone

Setting reminders is a great way to keep track of the little things throughout the day that you might otherwise forget about. For example, I have reminders set to do laundry and go grocery shopping. Without my reminder notification popping up on my phone, I would most likely run out of clean socks to wear or my favorite granola bars.

 

Prep in advance

Things as simple as packing your backpack the night before class or picking out your outfit for the next day can save you time the next morning. As busy college students, we need every minute of sleep we can get; so prepping in advance for the next day allows you to have those extra 5 minutes of hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock.

 

Hopefully these tips will be helpful for your academic success!

School of Media Arts and Design student with a concentration in Interactive Design. Campus Correspondent for the JMU chapter of Her Campus, Campus Coordinator for Rent the Runway on Campus, and Social Media Marketing Intern for Auntie Anne's.