By the time mid-terms hit things can get a little crazy. Between keeping up with friends, extracurriculars and figuring out what your professors are talking about, it’s easy to let things fall by the wayside-especially when procrasination sets in. If you’re letting readings pile up or your cabinets go bare, now’s the time to get down to business and get organized.
Buy a cute desk calendar: Sit down with your syllabi, your events tab on Facebook, and some colored pens. Write down not only your assignments but also every possible event you want to attend. This way, you can see if you have a paper due the Monday after a concert and a friend’s 21st. You’ll be able to plan ahead accordingly, whether it means switching work hours or staying in the weekend before to get some work done.
Make a rotating to do list: Take a sturdy piece of paper and outline sticky notes to make an easy way to keep track of things you need to do. You can use different colored sticky notes for school, work and personal goals. Put it up somewhere that you will see it every day—maybe next to your mirror or on your fridge. Throwing away the sticky note once you accomplish a goal is a satisfying way to celebrate even a little task like color-coding your closet.
Prepackage snacks: Take half an hour every Sunday night to put together snacks for that week. You can use small Tupperware containers to portion out things like carrots and celery or you can portion out chips in snack size bags. That way when you’re in a hurry, you can grab one of those rather than running by a c-store. It will help your diet and your wallet.
Clean out your closet: As the weather transitions from warm to cold, it’s a good idea to take a hard look at your wardrobe. Do all your laundry and lay out all your clothes. If you have anything that doesn’t fit, give it away. Don’t hold onto things just because you hope you can make them work somehow. After you’ve cut out old clothes, store any off-season items in a bin and leave only the clothes you wear regularly in your closet. Take note of anything you might want to replace—new heels to replace your salt-stained ones or a new t-shirt to replace your old, faded one. That way when you go shopping, you know you will know not to buy another blue v-neck if you already have five others.
Pictures from flickr creative commons and Pinterest