It’s inevitable. Every term you tell yourself that this is the term you’re going to get everything together. However, it’s two weeks into the term and your readings start piling up, you have four papers due in the next week and let’s not forget about all the extracurricular activities you’ve decided to join. Don’t worry ladies, it happens to all of us! Here are a few tips to help you keep your grades up while also keeping you organized throughout the term!
1. Make a Schedule
Creating a schedule is the easiest way to keep track of due dates, upcoming events and important dates. Keeping a calendar and an agenda is the best way to track both your academics and social events. After the first day of classes, check your syllabus for crucial dates and write them down. I find that having a large calendar in my room with all of my due dates for assignments, scheduled meetings and extracurricular responsibilities really helps remind me of what I have to work towards that week. Having an agenda to keep in my backpack on-the-go is also an amazing reminder and really helps to track your responsibilities throughout the day. You can also input all of these things into the calendar on your phone and set up notifications to make sure you don’t fall behind on work.
2. Create a List
Writing daily or weekly lists helps you create goals to work towards. I find the best time to do these is Sunday night before the beginning of the week, this way you have an idea of how your week is going to play out which makes the upcoming week seem a lot less overwhelming. If writing daily lists is too much, try weekly ones. If you know you have three assignments due that week and a few social events, write it down and then allocate your time appropriately. Creating both daily and weekly lists helps with time management and setting goals for yourself. It’s also extremely satisfying when you accomplish a task and get to cross it off!
3. Check Your Email
Checking your email is so important. You don’t want to go all the way to campus only to find out that your professor emailed you saying that class is cancelled. The University also tends to send you important emails like when your fees are due or if you’re on track for graduating. Checking your email is important to make sure you aren’t missing out on anything. Setting up your school email to your phone is the easiest way to keep track of emails from your professors, advisors and the school. It’s also a lot easier to communicate with them when you can easily contact them from your phone at anytime.
4. Don’t Get Discouraged
Don’t worry if you get off-schedule or if you didn’t complete all your tasks for the day! Motivation is key for moving forward and it’s okay to take a break if you feel overwhelmed. Just keep at it and try your best. Good luck Warriors and we hope you have an amazing term