Historically, I have not been very good at keeping organized. Throughout middle school and high school, I kept a messy room, I never made my bed, I would wait until the last minute to do homework, and I didn’t study for tests nearly enough. For my senior year AP English class, I once was given two months to read Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, which has about 600 pages (we had to read a book independently and write a report on it each marking period, along with the assignments and books we were reading in class) and kept putting it off and putting it off. I ended up suddenly realizing that I hadn’t started it yet the night before it was due, so I sat up and read the whole book, then wrote a 5-page paper on it (and got a very good grade, thank you very much!). That night definitely taught me a lesson about procrastination, but I still was pretty bad at keeping up with my work.
Since getting to college, things have changed completely. I think that a large aspect of the change is the different location. When I’m home, I tend to be more lazy, but when I’m at school I get things done. Here are some of my tips on keeping yourself organized at college!
- Keep Up With Your Planner
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I write everything in my planner, and I check it daily. Any small tasks, assignments, or due dates that I need to remember are in my planner, along with social plans or activities. Different types of planners work for different people, so find one that works for you!
- Fill in a Monthly Calendar
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Along with my planner, I keep a large desk calendar that I fill in at the beginning of every month. I don’t put little things on it like assignments, but I include my work schedules, days off, or any major dates that I need to remember. This allows me to remind myself of upcoming events any time that I sit at my desk.
- Make To-Do Lists
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I make a new to-do list almost every day! It helps me remind myself of the things that I need to do right away, and at the end of the list I can put the things that are on my long-term to-do list. That way, if I finish everything immediate, I can start working on things that aren’t needed right away.
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Everyone has different ways to keep themselves organized and on-task, and these are mine! If you’re finding yourself having a hard time keeping organized, try one of these techniques. If you already have methods that work for you, then keep being your best!
HCXO, Lola