Staying organized can be a major challenge in college, especially for students to whom organization has never come naturally. In college, where demands and deadlines come at you from every direction, disorganization can quickly lead to high stress and low grades. Perhaps you have never had to deal with so many obligations at once, or maybe you have historically been disorganized and accept that as part of who you are. Either way, becoming organized in college is easier than it sounds. All you need is the right tool and guidance on how to use it. No surprises here, the tool you need is a calendar planner. Purchasing your planner is the easy part, and here we offer guidance on how to use your planner in college to boost your grades and reduce stress.
First, in selecting your planner, ensure that there is sufficient space to write a few lines for each individual date. Make sure you purchase a planner that is a convenient size, so that you may easily take it along with you to classes, the library and lab meetings.
A common mistake many students make is purchasing a planner with the best of intentions, only to have the February through December pages never see the light of day. Once you have your planner, it is time to develop a habit of taking it with you and, of course, using it! Your planner should be the one place where you consolidate all of your obligations. By updating your planner with deadlines, test dates and due dates for every class, you can see at a glance how much you have to do in a particular week. Then you can adjust your study schedule accordingly. For example, if this week is mostly free, but next week you have three tests, it is best to utilize some of the extra time this week preparing for next week's tests. Planning ahead in this way will reduce stress significantly as opposed to realizing on Monday that you have a test each day on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Here we outline some tips to help you get in the habit of using your planner to its maximum potential:
-Use the planner on the first day of class. Many professors provide the complete schedule for the class on the first day, down to details such as the date of each test. Go ahead and enter the dates of any assignments, tests, projects and other deadlines immediately. Be sure to update your planner as dates change throughout the semester. To stay on top of things, you must always attend class.
-Consult your planner ahead of time. Checking out what you have to do for the week on Monday is not enough. Always be aware of what is coming up at least two weeks in advance.
-Keep your planner current throughout the semester. Even if you think you'll remember, note in your planner every important date that comes out of your professor's mouth. No class one day? Write it down. Quiz next week? Write it down. You get the idea. Having all of your responsibilities compiled in one place gives you an overall impression of your workload and allows you to adjust accordingly.
-Plan beyond academics. If you have a job without a set schedule, enter your work schedule into your calendar as soon as it is available. Managing your time includes not just staying current in all of your classes, but also using your time wisely in all aspects so that you make time to focus on academics. For example, if you see that you have a big test on Wednesday, but you have to work Monday and Tuesday nights, you know that you should start preparing for the test further in advance.
Perhaps the most difficult part of utilizing a planner to get organized in college is developing the habit of using it. Once you are used to the convenience and reduced stress of knowing all of your responsibilities ahead of time, you will wonder how you ever survived without it!
| About the Author: Evelyn Saunders, a retired teacher, is the editor for student-loans.net, a provider of student loans and information on how to get private student loans as well as consolidation. |
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