By Brittney Payette
Managing Editor
College can keep you stressed and busy, but staying organized can help. As someone who likes to be organized and is big on planning, I have some tips on how you can stay organized.
To begin with, I like to use my phone’s calendar to help me remember important dates. I put the times, dates and places of important events or things I need to do in my phone’s calendar.
Many phones have a cool feature that allows you to set up reminders to help you remember those important dates. You can even set up different alert times that can be set up minutes, hours, days or even weeks before the event occurs.
At the beginning of the semester, I like to put important dates for my classes in my calendar on my phone. So, I will put due dates for assignments, quizzes and exams. This helps me ensure that I am getting my school work done on time.
This is not by any means my only advice for staying organized and on task. Every night before I go to bed I always create a to-do list using my notes application on my phone. I check my calendar and put important events I have on my calendar for tomorrow on my to-do list. I delete things on my to-do list as I finish them.
If you would prefer to write your to-do list down, go ahead! There is something thoroughly satisfying about physically marking out something you have completed on your to-do list as long as you remember to keep it with you.
Another nice thing about doing a physical, written to-do list is that you can use color coding for different tasks, which can help you organize more efficiently. For example, you can use a red pen for exam due dates, a purple pen for doctor’s appointments, etc.
Another big thing I do to try to stay on task is to not procrastinate on things, especially assignments for class. One way I prevent procrastination is by removing distractions.
This may involve going somewhere else that is quieter to study, putting my phone out of reach and turning my volume on my phone down.
Moreover, I would recommend that you try to finish one task at a time instead of having multiple going on at once.
This can be a difficult one because it can be very tempting to move on to something else. However, leaving things incomplete or going back and forth between projects can be problematic.
Try to use your extra time wisely. Now, as a student, a worker, or a parent you may not have a lot of extra time.
Sometimes though, you can be productive while waiting for something else to finish. For example, you can go through your emails while you wait for something to heat up in the microwave. Or, you could clean up your room while waiting for a phone call.
Using your time wisely can also mean getting some much- needed rest. Sleep is essential for our health and well-being, but all too many of us are not getting enough of it.
Getting enough rest can improve your quality of life and help you stay more focused, which can help you stay organized and on task better.
These are just a few tips on how you can stay on task and be organized. Try some of these out a d find what works for you!