As college students, we all know that dreaded feeling of trying to balance our free time with our social life, assignments, club meetings, athletics, a job/internship, etc. Throughout my life, I have learned a lot about being organized (thanks to my Mom). Being organized is something that I take pride in, which seems to be noticed by my friends. Little do they know, sometimes I struggle finding time to eat with my busy schedule! With midterms coming up and spring break on its way, it makes for a perfect time to relax, breath, and get organized! For those of you who want to become organized, or even if you’re already organized and yearning for some new tips, here are three academic organizing tips I felt helped me along the way.
Color coordinating is your best friend. My favorite pens to color coordinate with are PaperMate flair pens. I usually assign each class a specific color (let’s say blue) and purchase a folder and notebook specifically in blue. I also recommend writing your class abbreviation (ex: BAUD) in your assignment notebook with the same color, and your assignments for that class in pen or pencil. To take color coordinating a step further: write your class schedule out in their assigned colors. With major assignments, use the color of each class to write when papers or exams will be happening on your monthly calendar. Other colors can be used for club events, sports, and birthdays! Speaking of calendars…
I am a bit excessive. I have three: my everyday planner, my practice calendar, and my travel planner. My everyday planner is what I take with me to class, while my travel planner is smaller version that can fit in my purse. It’s also a good idea to have a planner at your desk space. A desk calendar should be your “fun” calendar. It can include things such as fun events, breaks, and other personal activities. Sometime I also include major assignment due dates as well, just for a quick glance.
Lastly, I found it beneficial to have a large vertical mega sorter to store my notebooks, folders, and textbooks by class. I would recommend placing your first class of the day in the first compartment and other classes to follow. To feel less cluttered, try and only place textbooks that you are currently reading in the compartments (if they fit). This way, you are less likely to get stressed out and you know what textbooks to reach for when packing for class.
These three organizing tips have really helped me throughout my education, and I hope you’re able to benefit from them as well!