When I first started at college my first year, I didn’t know or even do much in terms of organization or planning. I never even had a planner or a calendar other than the one on my phone, which I rarely used. Don’t worry I was just as (un)organized last year, too!
Last semester, I started a few new habits that completely changed the way I organize that can help you too:
Keep a Planner
I know everyone always says to write everything down in an agenda or a planner, but it actually does help. I like having a weekly planner because I can write down the homework for all my classes for the whole week. Keeping a planner is also important for keeping dates for spring break, trips, events, and other important stuff going on in your life.
Work Ahead
I know once we get into the semester it can be hard to break out of the habit of doing your homework the night before. For many classes, doing the homework the night before is better because it allows you to remember more for class. But for other classes, you want to make sure you’re not going to screw yourself over by doing this.
I’m a junior year English major, so I usually have quite a bit of reading to do throughout my week. One of my classes specifically, has a heavier reading load than my other classes so I’m always trying to work ahead in order to spread out my workload.
Make a To Do List
Having a million tasks can be really overwhelming, so it helps to write out everything you need to do. This can be in a notebook, your planner, or even just hanging it up somewhere, but your list should be in a place where you’ll see it often and remember what you need to get done. I also like to organize my list by putting my most time sensitive tasks first (usually homework). This helps me prioritize what I need to do.
If you have trouble organizing, then hopefully this list can help you keep your semester on track!