I am on a constant quest to organize my life to the fullest. Over the years, I have picked up some amazing tools that help me on this journey. While I do love paper organization tools like journals, planners and sticky notes, I have been leaning more and more towards websites and apps. Digital planning tools are great for a number of reasons: they’re free, they require minimal effort and they are almost always at your fingertips. Here are just a few of the digital tools that play pivotal roles in my life as a student.
1) Google Calendar
Available on: Apple, Android, Web Browser (https://calendar.google.com/)
I didn’t start using Google Calendar until this year, but I wish I had done it sooner! After years of managing my calendar through planners and bullet journals, I’ve finally realized that a digital tool works best for me. While I love a good bullet journal spread, I prefer the accessibility of Google Calendar (I can see it on my phone and computer) and there is no pressure of messing it up, since anything can be deleted or moved (no more frustratedly whiting-out plans that got changed). Not to mention, I can jot down events months or years in advance without waiting for next year’s planner to come out. Google Calendar has the same customizable quality of paper planning, but with more organization and ease.
2) My Study Life
Available on: Apple, Android, Web Browser (https://www.mystudylife.com/)
I started using My Study Life last year, and it has become an integral part of my life as a student. I simply put any assignment into the app, mark which class it’s for, set a due date and—bam—I never forget about it! You can play around with how the app sends you reminders, but by default it will give you a daily notification of any upcoming unfinished tasks, which is super helpful. I also thoroughly enjoy how you mark things “done” using a slider—you can slide it to whatever percentage you have done, and once you hit 100 percent, the task disappears. It’s very satisfying, especially when I do quick assignments and slide it from zero to 100 in one go. I have branched out into putting all my personal tasks in this app as well, as it helps me to keep everything in one place.
3) Google Drive (Docs, Sheets)
Available on: Apple, Android, Web Browser (http://www.drive.google.com)
I don’t know where my life would be without Google Drive. I’ve been using it religiously since probably 2012. I keep my whole life in my Drive: photos, music, art, writing, academic work, important documents, job-related files and more. I keep my Drive folders (of which I have way too many) as organized and up to date as I can. I mostly sort my files based on the date, so if I ever need to go back and find something, I can look for the year or month I put it under. For instance, all my academic work is sorted into a folder labeled with the semester, then it’s in a smaller folder for the class, and usually in an even smaller folder for the topic we were studying in class at the time. Likewise, all my personal photos are sorted into folders by year then month. I am somewhat of a hoarder of memories, so having this all-in-one storage unit for all the memories in my life is extremely helpful.
4) Pinterest
Available on: Apple, Android, Web Browser (https://www.pinterest.com/)
Yes, Pinterest has become a serious organization tool in my life. I keep all sorts of things on my Pinterest—ideas for food, interior decoration, art, cosplay, tattoos, academics, future career, mental health—sorted neatly into aesthetically pleasing boards and folders. I love Pinterest because it allows me to find abundant ideas for any area of my life and archive them in a cohesive way. For years I have attempted to organize my day-to-day ideas manually, in spiral bound notebooks or tiny pocket-sized journals; none of those can compare to the ease and effectiveness of Pinterest. If you find yourself constantly brainstorming great ideas while going about your day and having no meaningful place to put them, I highly suggest giving Pinterest a try.