5 Back To School Organizational Must-Haves
Back to school season is upon us. As stores begin to receive shipments of pencils and notecards and start to fill their shelves fill with thousands of school supplies, the allure of a fresh new notebook or a set of pens makes entering a new year exciting.
Sifting through all of those back-to-school products can be overwhelming, especially as a college student with a more minimal approach to school supplies. Since most homework in college is done on a laptop, you may be wondering what supplies to even invest into.
These five school supplies are worth your time as a college student and can revolutionize your productivity and studying habits.
The Right Agenda
While it may seem obvious, this is the number one item that former college students recommend to incoming ones, according to Cengage. Going into your search, it’s important to consider what kind of planner will suit you best. Since this is going to be your primary tool during the school year, try finding one that fits your studying habits.
If you like organizing things electronically to sync to your phone and laptop, Apple or Google Calendars may be right for you. A WORD OF CAUTION: Some professors do not allow laptops or phones in class, and there is a higher margin of error in relying on technology. Ultimately, it all comes down to your preferences and your habits.
A hardcover agenda can also be effective. I recommend one with weekly pages, so you can create daily to-do lists. Weekly pages come with with a larger calendar to list bigger events such as vacations and exams.
Post-it Notes for Studying
If you’re a fan of the classic post-it notes, you may also be a fan of these specialized notes. Having notes that categorize your work for you can reduce your stress and do half of the work for you.
When used in conjunction with other post-it notes, these tabs can serve as a substitute for wasting an entire blank post-it on marking a page for studying, to-do lists and more.
Noise Cancelling Headphones
Although libraries are generally a quiet place, being able to truly focus on your work by listening to music can potentially limit stress by increasing productivity.
This is something that many incoming freshmen overlook. Instead, they’ll rely solely on their earbuds to do the job for them. However, investing what you aren’t spending on other school supplies should be spent on something to help your studying habits as a whole. These can also help induce sleep and whenever else you need a quiet moment.
One Multiple Subject Notebook
Since college students don’t have the luxury of storing supplies in a locker, everything must be carried at all times. Depending on how many courses you’re enrolled in, invest in a three or five subject notebook to carry all of your notes with you at all times when you go back to school.
Taking notes on your laptop may seem convenient. But if you aren’t careful, documents can become lost and you can easily find yourself distracted. Not to mention that hand-writing notes have been proven time and time again to improve retention of facts and knowledge. The notebook will also automatically divide up your classes. You’ll no longer have to search for a particular lecture in your notes.
Laptop Sleeve with Storage
As I said before, much of your work in college is done on your computer. Most students have a laptop to take with them around campus, so they can work on their classes at any location. A laptop sleeve with proper compartments is a worthy investment. Within these compartments, you can store useful accessories on the go. These include headphones or earbuds, a flash drive or an ethernet cable. By doing so, you are prepared for any situation involving technology when you go back to school.
Having all of these school supplies will make you more organized and more prepared for any situation that college can throw at you. You’ll no longer feel unprepared for class because these items will aid you in your quest for an organized 2018-2019 school year.
