Whether you are a freshman or senior, it can be hard to stay organized in college. I struggled with staying organized for the first few months of college, but through that struggle I learned some valuable lessons. It can be especially hard to stay organized when you are a freshman because you are still finding what works best for you. Here are a few of my tips for staying organized:
Buy a Planner. A planner is a must-have in college! I tried to go without one for a few months and it was so stressful. You should buy a good, durable planner that you really like the format of. Take the planner to all your classes and write down any new assignments you get. The planner should have when all your assignments are due and help you plan when you are going to work on your assignments. If you are living off campus and need to plan your own meals, there are some planners that allow you to plan what you are going to eat each day. A planner is also handy if you have bills you need to pay so you don’t miss any of them.
Prep the Night Before. If you aren’t a morning person, you should prep your backpack the night before. Put all your textbooks, binders, or notebooks you need for the next day into your backpack. You can also plan your outfit for the next day so you aren’t rushing around trying to figure out what to wear in the morning.
Make To-do Lists. I always make to-do lists. They are super handy to make at the beginning of the week so you know what you need to get done that week. You can even make to-do lists for each day. This helps to make sure you don’t forget to do anything. You can hand write to-do lists or you can use your phone to make them. It can also make you feel very accomplished by marking things off the list!
Label or Color Code. You should label or color code all your notebooks, binders, or folders for each class. This helps to make sure you grab everything for your classes each day. You should then keep all the handouts or syllabi that you get from professors in the right folder, binder, or notebook so you can find them easily.
Sticky Notes. I use sticky notes all the time! It makes it easy to quickly write down things to add to my planner or to-do list later. I even use sticky notes to remind me of stuff I need to do later in the day! Use a bright color so you notice them.
Are you planning on trying these tips? Be sure to let me know how they worked in the comments below!
