College is a new experience. So much is going on and the schedule is often completely different than that of a high school day of continuous classes then going home.
The first few weeks of the new semester is when we all develop the habits that will continue over the next few months. Will you wake up early every morning for the gym, or miss every Monday morning class? Will you remember that you have work on Wednesday afternoons or a Tuesday night class?
Some of the most important things to concentrate on at the beginning of each new semester are good organizational habits to make the entire rest of the semester easier.
As much as we all try to stay on top of our game, being organized is pretty tough unless you already have a game plan in place. This can be done with just a few easy steps.
First, start out by creating a schedule of everything in your life that will happen weekly. This includes classes, work schedules, club meetings, etc.
With a weekly schedule to look at, you won’t schedule meetings or other things during times that you already have something going on. Knowing what times you’re free will make your life much simpler.
Another essential of keeping organized is a planner. College students without a planner are like trains without tracks--you’ll be lost pretty quickly.
Your planner will be the place for you to keep track of the events and meetings that wouldn’t normally be on your weekly schedule. These are the appointments that we tend to forget most often.
Now that you have your planner, you’re ready to tackle all your classes this semester! The next step is staying on top of work that could be assigned months in advance, sometimes, though luckily not too often at Cabrini, without reminders.
This is where your planner can be your best friend once again. When you get your syllabus at the beginning of the semester, look ahead at when tests and larger projects will come up and put them in your planner so you’ll have a nice warning reminder every time you look in it.
One last way to stay organized in your school life is to keep the rest of your stuff organized. There isn't a good chance you’ll be doing work on your desk if there are five empty water bottles and old assignments covering so much you can't see the end.
Pick one day a week when you have some extra free time and set aside a few minutes to straighten up for the week. Starting every week with a clean room makes it way easier to make it through the long days.
If you’re able to stay organized throughout the semester, you’ll eliminate stress and feel way more on top of your game. So, go get that planner!