Plan ahead: Utilize your syllabi, work schedule, calendars for extracurricular activities, etc. as soon as you get them. Nothing is more stressful in college than realizing you have a test, sorority event, and work all in the same day! Take the hour to write in what you have daily/weekly in to your planners. You will definitely thank yourself later!
Make a to-do list before bed: Before you call it quits for the night, jot down where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing the next day. This includes when you have a quiz, need to run an errand, etc. You’ll be able to sleep peacefully not wondering “what if” you forgot something to do the next day.
Carry a notebook with you: Whether you throw it in your purse or backpack, carrying a notebook or journal with you to jot down events, reminders, ideas, etc. will help you to never forget anything again! Nothing is worse than trying to remember something from earlier in the day and not being able to remember it!
Know when to say no: This is essential to staying organized. Every single day can’t be packed to the brim. You need a day or two during the week to find time to unwind and plan ahead for everything on your plate. If the only break you are giving yourself is to sleep, chances are you will be so busy and life will get so chaotic trying to balance it all that you will eventually start to forget things. Get involved and stay busy, but know when to say no to an extra curricular or extra shift at work. You need to find time to unwind and relax during the day to refuel and kick butt in all of your activities.
Pack your bags the night before: Pack your backpack, purse, work bag, lunch, etc. the night before. If for some reason you’re running late in the morning, you won’t have to worry about if you have everything you need before you run out the door. As college students, we like to press the snooze button as many times as we can before we have to leave. You won’t feel so bad sleeping later knowing you’re practically ready to walk out the door that morning!
Plan out when you’ll study like it’s an additional class: Treat studying for classes like you have a required study hour. It’s easy to say “I’ll study this weekend” and then end up going out with friends or watching Netflix in bed all day. If you jot down in your planner scheduled times to study every week, you’ll be more motivated to utilize the time to do so and won’t have to stress about studying for a quiz or test the night before.
Do your best to turn in online assignments early: If you can get in to the habit of turning assignments in a day or two before they are due, you’ll be on track to start the next assignment early, turn that in early, and so on and so forth. Turning in assignments is a good idea for a few reasons. Chances are you aren’t stressfully working to turn in an assignment on time if you’re turning it in early, if you do turn in an assignment in, especially online, and realize after the fact that you have forgoten something, you can add to the assignment with no worry, and having