It's just a fact that there never seems to be enough time in the day to take a nap, get all your homework done, and hang out with your besties; unless you're organized. Being organized is easier said than done, so I developed a set of practical ways to be organized to balance your needs, your academics, and your social life.
1. Keep two planners.
You're probably thinking that this is ridiculous; why should you keep two planners? Isn't one good enough? When I say keep two planners, I mean keep your calendar on your phone and your actual hand-written planner synced at all times. It's so important to be able to access your schedule at all times, by syncing your calendars you will allow yourself to always be able to remember what's going on in your life even if you leave your pretty planner sitting on your desk.
2. Know your priorities.
The best way to get organized throughout the semester is to know what you can and cannot afford to miss out on. Example: My friends may ask me to go get Benny's for dinner and then go see a movie. I, however, know I have a paper due in three days that I have barely started. While pizza and a movie sounds great, that paper is more important and unfortunately, I have to say no to my friends. Because priorities.
3. Know when you need alone time.
I feel like even the most extroverted people need to spend time alone. There is something about lighting that candle you picked up from Anthro, grabbing one of your non-academic books, and listening to that live album by Penny and Sparrow that makes you feel relaxed. Sometimes the best way to get organized is to take some time to recharge and prepare for the next busy day you have.
4. Be intentional with your time.
Time in this world mandates your actions. The phrase there aren't enough hours in the day really rings true in college. So that means we have to be intentional with it. Intentional is defined as done on purpose. We have to actually have to purposefully use our time for the benefit of the life we are living. I know, it's crazy, Netflix isn't always the best choice those two hours you have between classes.
5. Create do-doing-done lists.
People normally say, keep a to-do list but to-do lists are so outdated. Do-Doing-Done lists are a better way to keep track of the tasks you need to accomplish. You may ask, how does it differ – well, do-doing-done lists keep track of all the tasks you need to do, all the tasks you had to randomly stop in the middle of, and all the things you have completed. The "do" section is where you list every task you must complete. The "doing" section is when you have to stop in the middle of a task, you write it down so you don't forget that you already started it but just haven't quite finished it yet. The "done" section is where you write all your completed tasks. Do-Doing-Done lists literally make being organized so easy.
6. Make folders on your desktop.
As a college student, I am always on my computer. I type my notes on my computer. I keep my pictures on my computer. I create all my presentations on my computer. My desktop can get pretty cluttered. So how do I keep it organized? I have four general folders: Young Life, Honors, Teaching, and Odyssey. These four folders help me keep all the things grouped together with what I am involved in. Bonus: I also create subfolders within each folder to help keep each decluttered. Example: In my Honors folder, I have the following subfolders: Fall 2016, Capstone Ideas, and Honors Contract Ideas.
7. Flag important files.
So how do I make the important files stand out from the rest? I flag them. What does that mean? When you flag a file, it adds a color next to its name. In the folder that holds all my classwork, I use different flags to symbolize different things. Any blue flag is a study guide, any green flag is a presentation that is a work in progress, and any yellow flag is a paper that is a work in progress. All of these help me stay on top of my school work and keep track of what I am working on.
8. Flag important emails.
As a college student, I get lots of emails. Some of them I throw out immediately, others I flag. Flagging emails is such a lifesaver. I flag important emails that will be buried amongst all of the other random emails I receive on a daily basis. This will help out anyone who believes their inbox is overflowing with emails.
9. Check your email three times a day.
After I drink my coffee, I check my email.
Before I begin to eat my lunch, I check my email.
While I am eating that pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream, I check my email.
Picking three times a day when I can sit down and go over the emails I have received literally helps me keep track of my life so much. Figuring out what is useless and what is flag-worthy keeps me up to speed with all the things I am involved with.
10. Take an hour break every day.
With all I have going on, the one way I stay organized and on top of my A-game is by taking an hour each day when my laptop is closed, my phone is on airplane mode and I just read. It's an hour I typically like to get into the Word and find rest in that. Taking an hour each day to recharge is the best thing to keep me organized and I bet it will help you too. Just be diligent to only spend an hour for yourself.
My hope is that these 10 tips that help my life stay organized, will be something you can take and use to organize your life too.
