As midterm season approaches, so does midterm season stress. Keeping organized will help ease your mind and make your studying easier. Here are five do-or-die organizational tools you need to keep you on top of your game.
1. Planner
When it comes to keeping up with your schoolwork, a planner is your holy grail. Most planners are a week per page, with lined blocks per day for you to write your tasks. Additionally, they have monthly calendars and a few pages free for notes. Use it to keep track of your daily homework assignments, test dates, club meetings and anything you think you might forget. Virginia Tech sells planners at the bookstore, or you can find cute and practical planners at Target, Paper Source, and Lilly Pulitzer. If you’ve been using planners for a while and want to switch it up with the latest trend, read about how to create and maintain a bullet journal here.
Helpful tip: When writing in your planners, use different colors for different classes. This way the assignments don’t blend in together and you know exactly what you have to do for each class. Sharpie has non-bleeding fine point colorful pens that are perfect for writing in a planner. Get them here, or pick them up at any store with an office supply section.
2. Desk Organizers
It’s easy to let desks and rooms get quickly unorganized, especially if you’re busy cramming for a test. However, cluttered work spaces often lower our efficiency and add unnecessary stress. Use bins, trays and desk organizers to keep your desk sectionalized so your workspace stays tidy.
3. Wall/desk calendar
Though it may seem redundant to use a wall calendar in addition to a planner, they serve two completely different functions in your organizational routine. While planners document day-to-day notes and assignments, wall calendars can be used to emphasize important dates such as test dates, deadlines, birthdays, and holidays. Get them here.
Helpful tip: Mount your wall calendar directly above your desk or bed so you’ll never be blindsided by upcoming events.
4. Sticky notes
Contrary to popular belief, sticky notes aren’t only for car decorations. Use stickies to write down any fleeting thought or message and post it wherever you want. You can use them as motivational helpers, date reminders, page holders or even as a messenger to your roommate. You can buy stickies in bulk on Amazon, or if you don’t want to waste paper, check out the sticky note app on your computer!
5. Folders
The cleanliness of your life is directly correlated to the amount of folders you own. How else are you supposed to keep track of all your papers? Use a folder per class, or per day, to keep track of your syllabi, papers, notes, etc. Plus, accordion folders are a great way to keep track of small things you might need to hold on to, like receipts. You can buy colorful and functional folders here.
Helpful tip: To be extra organized, you can color coordinate your folders with with your notebooks, or even with your stickies and pens. This way, you’ll be able to easily identify which folder is for which class.
Reorganizing for midterm is a crucial step in your academic success and peace of mind, so get started today to avoid stress and cramming tomorrow!