As we get older and move into our college years, our lives seem to get more complicated. There’s no more mom or dad constantly reminding us to get our homework finished before extracurriculars or to eat in between practices, rehearsals, meetings and games.  

We are told to get involved in college by joining clubs, sports, organizations, honor societies  and social events all on top of our heavy course loads. After a while, these commitments start to pile up and may become overwhelming.  

But there’s no need to worry! Here are some basic organizational tips to keep in mind when managing your time:

Keep track of your days in a planner:

This may seem obvious, but many of us are guilty of buying that cute Lily Pulitzer or Vera Bradley yearly planner before school starts and then forgetting about it at the bottom of our backpacks weeks later. These little calendar books are actually super helpful!  

Having your planner easily accessible in your classes, work and club meetings make it super convenient to take it out and write down possible dates or assignments. Much of the time I’m sure a lot of us say “oh I’ll remember,” but then end up forgetting that important thought moments later. Being able to go back into your planner to see specific dates, times and details of things to do can definitely be helpful in keeping yourself organized and time efficient!

Make a Checklist:

Having a list of daily things to get done can be beneficial to our daily routine. This way, nothing gets forgotten and you feel a sudden relief after crossing an item off  when completed.

Writing things down additionally helps to jog your memory. For me, I always feel a bit better after writing a checklist of assignments to get done on a sticky note and placing it right on my desk to look back at. This way, it’s a constant reminder to get what I need to get done, but it doesn’t stress me out to the point where these things to do are rustling around in my brain. It’s an organized way to let those thoughts loose from your mind.

BREATHE:

This is something most of us forget to do. Stressing out about everything we have to get done today, tomorrow, next week and in life is simply not worth it. Something to remind yourself of is that everything will work out and get completed. All of the items will get crossed off that checklist. Allow the time to get  important things done rather than binge watching 2 hours of Netflix (which I’m sure we are all guilty of).

It will lift a heavy weight off your shoulders. We all have so much buzzing around in our lives, that everything can be hard to keep track of. You’re not alone in having an involved life, and it certainly isn’t a bad thing.

Next time you’re stressed out about the amount of items on your checklist, remember to take one long deep breath and take it one step at a time.