To be completely honest, I am far from being the most organized and prepared person in life. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. Ask my parents or any of my roommates I have had since moving to college -- my life could easily be described as an organized mess. Okay, well maybe to them it is just a mess, but within my piles of junk I always know exactly where things are. While I have grown to appreciate my organized mess, I do like to start every new school year off on the right foot and attempt to be a little more put together than the year before.
1. My number one tip is to invest in a planner.
It does not have to be a name brand or have fun little stickers and what not. Personally all the little extras overwhelmed me and are not for newbies to the whole planner game. Start out with a simple planner from Target or somewhere and slowly build your planning skills from there. Being able to see in writing what you need to accomplish during your day can take away so much stress.
2. Buy an accordion folder.
Remember those cool folders you had in middle school that were super fun to play with? Well, now that you're an adult they still some in handy, just this time more for their actual purpose than recreational use. These folders are great for keeping your syllabus and assignments for all your classes in one place. It also lightens the load in your back pack so you aren't caring a ton of different folders and binders.
3. Write down all your assignments.
While this one kind of goes with the planner, it is very important. If your professor gives you a tentative schedule of when things will be due over the semester, go through and write down all your assignments over a two week span. By looking ahead you will never be surprised about an assignment, project, or exam. This is also helpful when in your very rare free time you want to get ahead on your homework.
4. Pack your bag the night before.
If you are anything like me, then you will sleep in as late as you possibly can before having to drag yourself out of bed before class. Cut your preparation time a little shorter by putting everything you need for your classes in your bag the night before. This way you have plenty of time to go through what you need and double check it without trying to also rush out the door. Nothing is worse than going to class and realizing that you meant to grab your assignment on the way out the door and just forgot.
5. Take a deep breath.
This one might seem like it not fit in an article about staying organized, but trust me it does. The only way you aren't always going to be frustrated and worrying about forgetting something is by just taking a couple minutes to clear your mind. Whether it's laying down with your eyes closed or just doing a few simple stretches, taking a minute to relax will help you realize that most of the time there really are enough hours in the day you just have to plan accordingly.
