Life is absolutely insane. You have to work, go to school, pay bills, have fun, and run errands...without crying. It took me forever to find out that you don't have to constantly be running around like a chicken with it's head cut off anytime you have to be somewhere and a specific time. Being organized in all aspects of your life is way easier than you'd think. Especially since we now have the internet (aka Pinterest).
Regular Life Planning
Get a Good Planner
In all honesty, I have no idea how people function without planners. How do you know where you're supposed to be? What homework needs to be done? Did you have a doctors appointment? It baffles me.
My top way of staying organized is having a good planner. Mine is a Happy Planner from Me and My Big Ideas. The weekly/daily spaces in my planner are separated into "Morning" "Day" and "Night" so I'm always aware of what needs to be done when. It's a good amount of space too, so I don't have to cram teeny tiny hand-writing into one spot. I went without a planner for weeks and I felt so lost. I even missed a shift at work! Never, ever again. It also has sticker, washi tape, stamps, and other fun little accessories to make planning your adulting life easier (somewhat).
My favorite thing to do with my planner is to color coordinate specific things. Work is written in red. Bills in blue, plans with friends in black, etc. That way you know what's up the second you glance at your day.
Savings and Budgets
Use the Jar system
OK. So, I am absolutely awful at saving money. Or just money in general. I am slowly getting better as I get older and realize that, oh shit, I now have $1,000 to pay off with Discover and that sucks. Plus I have an apartment to furnish, savings account, and an anniversary trip to Disney that I have to be saving for. Not including my regular weekly expenses. OUCH.
If you don't want to wallow in pain when you realize there's something important to save for, use my favorite go-to: The Jar System.
How much do you need to save?
How long do you have to save it?
Now divide those two numbers to see how much you need to put into the jar per week and stick to it.
(( Ex. 27 weeks to save $500 would be 500/27 to get $18.50 per week ))
Get a good sized mason jar and some mod podge to decorate like crazy! I used travel scenes and a John Green quote to create a travel fund jar. My apartment jar is just plain because I can't seem to find my mod podge.... But have fun with it!
This works better than just transferring money from your checking to your savings because if you find something you want to spend money on, you can take it out of that special savings that you need more than that top. When it's "locked up" in a cute jar, you're less tempted to spend it.
Paycheck Planner
Pinterest Your Way to Financial Peace
Another great go-to is Pinterest. Do you need a weekly budget form? Monthly? Tips to get out of debt in 7 weeks? How-to's on saving money on bills? Just search for a pin! Above is one of my favorite forms for figuring out where my paycheck needs to go each week.
College Life
Print your course's power points before each class
Color coordinate your notes
Put ALL important dates, office hours, and contact numbers in your planner
Study at 20-minute intervals to prevent burn-out (and never late at night!)
Sleep. Please.
Your (Mildly Non-Existent) Social Life
It's okay to say NO!
Believe it or no, you don't have to go out every time someone asks. Do you have to study? Are you tired? Did you just work all stinkin' day long and all you can think about is a hot bath? Then politely decline your invite and/or reschedule.
Make time for yourself
Don't forget that you can make dates with yourself. Take yourself out for a pedicure after a hard week or take a solid nap. Your schedule can get insane and you need to remember to schedule time (even if it's only an hour) to do something for YOU.
Make time for your friends
While you're allowed to say "NO" to plans when it's not the best for you, don't cut your friends off all together. Make time for a quick lunch or coffee date between classes or on your day off. If you have even more time, make it a Beach Day or spend a whole afternoon doing DIY's and cookies!
