You’re halfway through the semester, midterms are quickly approaching, extracurricular activities are in full swing AND you’re desperately trying to maintain your social life. All of these things can cause you a lot of stress, but there is one key way to minimize this unwanted tension: become a master of organization! Here are five ways to keep it all straight throughout your college journey.
1.Get a cute planner and a wall calendar for your room and update them religiously
Review each syllabus and put all of your assignments, tests, midterms and finals in your planner ahead of time. Check off tasks as you go, and make sure your planner is something you enjoy using because you will look at it a lot! (Bonus tip: Stickers are a fun way to reward yourself for finishing tasks or checking off days completed.)
2. If you have any free time after class, knock out an assignment or two
Sometimes your classes are back to back, but if you have even 30 minutes between your classes, use it to finish some of your easier assignments that could be forgotten about. This will allow you to give more brain power to your harder, more important assignments later (or you more free time to relax!)
3. Quizlet is your best friend
Many of you probably know what Quizlet is, but in case you don’t, it is a free app and website that allows you to enter terms and definitions to make your own study sets. Once you have a set made, you can use it to practice flashcards, play matching games, take tests, and even use the “learn” feature to go through each definition in a variety of interactive ways that will help you comprehend faster. (P.S. Always search for pre-made Quizlets to see if one already exists. Just be sure to check that it is a good study tool for your class so you don’t waste your time!)
4. Don’t wait until the night before to study for tests
When you often have multiple exams in one week (or one day) studying the material in small pieces ahead of time will help keep your stress levels down. Planning study times into your week is key to staying on top of new material. (Quizlet helps with this tremendously because you can use it anywhere at any time, and it’s fun!)
5. Make time for yourself
Hanging with your friends and going out is great, but we all need time to ourselves to do nothing. Schedule this into your weekly or daily routine. Whether it’s eating your meals alone or spending an hour at night doing something you enjoy like reading or surfing the internet, we all need time to exist without all of the deadlines looming over our heads. If sitting around isn’t your thing, exercising is a great way to get back in tune with yourself and recharge while you sweat it out.
College can be stressful and overwhelming, but staying organized can keep you cool and collected (even during these hot fall days.)