Once classes begin to resume, thousands of responsibilities and obligations that had once disappeared after finals come back to haunt us. It seems nearly impossible to balance 18 credit hours, Greek life, multiple club activities and a social life. After four semesters of maintaining a busy college schedule, I have finally understood what it takes to balance the stressful college life, I think. Here are some tips and tricks to keeping your life organized this semester.
Put your planner to good use
Planners aren't just for sorority girls who are obsessed with Lilly Pulitzer. Believe me, there is a reason why all these women have planners. Their lives are extremely busy, and planners help keep everything in check and organized. They are an efficient way to stay aware of important events, such as exams and study sessions. Planners are also a great way to keep track of important notes and ideas you think of during the day. A great habit to form is to have easy access to this holy-grail item, just in case you remember something important during the day.
Print out all of your syllabi immediately
My first semester of college, I never printed out or paid attention to my syllabi, which ended up being a huge mistake. I was lazy and still in high-school mode, so I didn't put the effort that I should have put towards my organization. Syllabi hold all the information you would ever need to know about the classes you are taking. From office hours to the date of your third exam, it's in the syllabus. Pay attention to the syllabi and highlight the important parts, or else you will not be able to put your full effort towards your classes.
Color code your life
Use one color for every class you have. Let's say I'm taking chemistry this semester, so I would use a green folder, a green notebook and a green pen to write down my assignments and readings into my planner. It may seem silly, unnecessary, or a waste of time, but it is an easy way to remember what notebook to write your chemistry lecture notes in, rather than having them in eight different notebooks.
Post-it notes are your friends
If you're extremely forgetful like me, post-it notes are a great way to remind yourself about important things you need to do. When you have many obligations, it's easy to blank out and forget the little things. Place the sticky notes on your mirrors, doors and books so you can remind yourself throughout the day of what you need to do or what page to turn your book to.
Make alarms
My mind typically runs at 1,000 miles per hour when I have many things to complete. I like to set alarms to block off time for assignments, readings and other obligations. I also like to label the alarms on my phone to help remind me of deadlines or events, due to my forgetfulness.
Lists
If I'm having a busy day, I always feel the need to write down everything I need to do. Its a great way to understand how much you actually need to do and it gives you motivation. It gives me a sense of pride when I can complete the whole list, or the majority of it.
Prioritize your assignments and events
If I have a thousand assignments and I'm completely stressed out about them, I like to determine what assignments are the most important to complete. If I have an 8:30 a.m. class and an assignment due for it that day, I will attempt to complete it before the others. Take your time to think about what items are most important to complete, because you don't want to underestimate the importance of the others.
