Whether you become a writer, doctor, or lawyer you will need to know how to stay organized.
College can be very stressful, especially during crunch times. Mastering organizational skills will only help you in the long run. College is a great way to practice these skills. Everyone learns differently and takes on information differently. I am very much a visual learner and like to physically write everything down on paper. At the school I currently attend, everything is on iPads. This can be nice because in today’s world there are so many apps and tools you can use to make your notes organized and pretty. I am going to let you in on my five secrets on how to survive college.Ā
A PlannerĀ Ā
My planner is literally my holy grail! I use this for everything, and I love putting in appointments and assignments in my planner. You can get a planner literally anywhere on Amazon, Target, Home Goods etc. They come in so many different sizes and shapes. I usually go with a tiny one, that way I can carry it around and it doesnāt look like a huge notebook. One of my favorite things to do before school starts is going through my syllabi and writing down any assignment’s due dates in my planner. I like to color-code things as things but, I’ll talk more about that in #2.Ā
Color CodingĀ Ā
Color Coding is one of my favorite tools. It allows your planner and/or notes to have some life to it. I think this is why I enjoy going back and continuing to rereading my notes. I like to assign a color to each class or job or club I am involved in for that semester. That way I do not get overwhelmed and my planner looks pretty. I also do this for notes. Depending on the class it usually varies but, this way my notes look pretty, and it is fun to study.Ā Ā
Good NotesĀ Ā
Good Notes is an app that you can download if you are using an iPad. Good notes is nice because you can use any color you want and change the thickness or the color. For example, you can set pink to be definitions and then highlight the vocab word in pink as well. It allows your notes to look very organized. Something I also really like about Good Notes is that you can add a picture to your notes. This is really nice if you need to memorize something like parts of the brain or you want to create a chart.Ā Ā
Outlook AppĀ Ā
Outlook saves me so much. At my school our email is connected to outlook anytime there is an event or club meeting we are able to add it to our outlook calendar. I recommend downloading outlook to your phone, that way you can get alerts for all your meetings. Although we are super organized sometimes, we forget things we are human. Having that 15-minute reminder allows us to have time to attend that event or go on zoom etc.Ā Ā Ā
Self-CareĀ Ā
You might be reading this and wonder how self-care is an organizational tip. Well, it is, how can you be organized and focused on your classes when you are feeling down yourself. Something that I like to do every morning that takes away some daily stress is opening my windows and making my bed. If I make my bed, it somewhat looks like I have my life together. Opening my windows brings in some sunshine and fresh air, making it look a little less depressing in my room.Ā Ā
Those were just some of the tips that have helped me get through college. Following these five tips might not work for you but college is a great place to get a start. In the rest of your career whether you become a writer, doctor, or lawyer you will need to know how to stay organized so start now š.Ā