A new semester and a new year are a great combination for a fresh organized start. Here are some tips to help you get there.
1. Go through your desk drawers.
Get rid of all the papers you're not going to need. Do you really need that old history test? Probably not. Pitch it.
2.Take home what you don’t need.
That shirt you haven't worn all year? All of those things they say you needed for college but you never use? Junk that is just taking up space? If you can, take it all home next time you go. The less you have, the easier it is to keep organized.
3.Get a planner.
Use it to write down all of your important events in the next few months like campus events and paper due dates.
4. And a calendar.
Why do I suggest both? Because for me, I like to have all of my this month social events on a dry-erase one-month calendar that hangs next to my desk,and all of my paper due dates and next month or later social events in a planner. This helps from either one getting too cluttered.
5.Make to-do lists
Making lists can help you to keep things in perspective and stay organized. You can make a daily to-do list and weekly to-do lists. I like to make a week long assignment to-do lists with all I need to do on the top and all of it split into the days I need to do them on the bottom. Having it split into days helps to take it one day at a time. If an assignment needs more than one day of work, I schedule it more than one day.
6.Buy a notebook for each class.
Or a five subject notebook where each class has its own section. This will help you keep all of your notes organized and in one place so they are easily accessible when preparing for a test.
7.And a folder for each class.
Buy a binder for your Monday/Wednesday/ Friday classes and one for your Tuesday/Thursday classes then a folder for each class. Use it to keep all you loose papers and returned tests together.
8. Have a separate notebook for paper preparation.
This is a new system I will be trying out this semester. I will have a separate notebook just for all the research I do in preparation for papers. This way my research is not scattered between in-class notes.
9. Make a daily evening routine.
If you are like me, you are not a morning person. Having a night routine help my mornings run so much smoother. I set my alarm clock, lay out my clothes, refill my coffee maker and pack my backpack. If I wake up on time, I can take my time getting ready because I have less to do. If I wake up late, I can get out the door in a jiffy.
10.Get involved in activities on and off campus.
I am my most productive when I have a lot to do. Having activities help to keep you busy and leave you little time to procrastinate, unless you never want to sleep. Plus it helps you connect with people on campus and in your community. But beware of spreading yourself too thin and not being able to get all of your homework done.
11.Baskets and hangers and containers, oh my!
Use baskets and containers to keep odd and ends things and similar items in one place. Make sure you have enough hangers for all your clothes or they will end up all over the floor of your closet or your room.
12.Find a place for everything
Let's be honest, if something doesn't have a place, it probably ends up thrown on your floor, desk or bed.
13.Then put everything in its place.
I'm not going to lie, this is where I struggle. I tend to use something, and not put it back right away. If you put if back right after you use it, you won't have to spend a large chunk of time you probably don't have cleaning your room.Use it. Then put it away.
14. Sticky notes are life.
Have something you need to remember? Write it on a sticky note and put it on your desk or your notebook. Somewhere you know you will see it. Use them to tab the next clean page in your notebook or the place you left off in your textbook.
What works for me may not work for you. That's okay. Being organized is really about what works for you and what helps you run most efficiently. May you new year and new semester be filled with organization and 4.0 GPAs!
