How To Have An Organized, Stress-Free, College Lifestyle
College can either feel like an academic nightmare or a tolerable breeze since you were able to survive your horrific AP classes throughout high school. Regardless of how hard your college classes are, it’s easy to keep up with your classwork and manage your various due dates and test dates in your college lifestyle by simply being organized.
Organization not only prevents you from forgetting any important assignments, but also makes your life as a student much easier and less stressful. Without stress, you’ll be able to take your tests confidently and maintain that 4.0 Dean’s list GPA. Here are some organization tips to keep throughout your college semester!
Buy a planner
A planner will act as your best friend and the most essential object throughout your entire academic year. Essentially, the planner serves as the foundation of your college organization by containing the due dates and test dates for all of your classes. By simply updating your planner every time you go to class, you’ll maintain a balanced study habit and will be less prone to feeling stressed out all the time. You can find cheap planners at Target or fanciful ones from Moleskin, but to enhance your planner even further you can invest in stickers to put on the due dates of your assignments to at least make your workload look more appealing and cute for your college lifestyle.
Keep your dorm room clean.
Maintaining the cleanliness of your dorm room should be a obvious chore and may seem to have no significance towards your academic agenda, but typically by having a clean environment you will have no distractions to inhibit your ability to think and concentrate on your studies. Also only good comes out of maintaining your dorm room. Not only do you have a clear space to sleep and get your work done, but you will also avoid the wrath of your dorm mate who has to sleep next to you, thus maintaining both your academics and your roommate friendship.
Force yourself to get work done/study in advance.
Every student always enters the school year with the New Year’s resolution of being studious by getting work done in advance, but by actually getting your homework and studying done ahead of time, you’ll mentally be thanking yourself later when the due date comes around. The worst academic nightmare you can place on yourself is by doing a big project or studying for a major grade test the night before because inevitably although you may think it’s doable, you won’t be performing at your academic highest potential due to big factors such as sleep deprivation and major stress. Setting aside time in your week to study ahead of time and finish homework only brings benefits such as being able to manage your social life and have free time to do whatever you want. Though, it may seem like a complete pain to finish a large workload in advance, you’re avoiding acquiring stress acne on your complexion and raccoon eyes.
Pack and plan your day out the night before.
Setting up your clothes to wear and packing your backpack the night before is not only a great organized nightly routine, but it solves the problem of forgetting your homework or textbooks for class. Preparing for your day the night before takes only 5 minutes of your time before you go to bed, and leaves you feeling relaxed as you go to bed without having to come up with an excuse to your professor as to why you left your homework in your dorm.
Talk and email with your professors ahead of time.
College assignments can feel hard or impossible to complete. That’s why it is your professor’s job to provide help in your college lifestyle when you need it to do your best. Professors are typically always available to help you whether it’s in person, through email, or on the phone, but the gag is if you want their help you have to ask for it in advance. Not only does asking for help from your professor look bad last minute, but professors will feel less inclined to help you in the due date hours of desperation. Even if you feel the slightest sense of doubt on how to do something, just ask your professors for help in a convenient and timely manner to make both of your lives easier.
Meet your college counselor.
College counselors can be underrated and seem not accessible, but they exist to keep you academically organized and help guide your future career goals. Academic counselors are typically available everyday of the week both in person and through email, so set aside a day once per month to visit them in person and talk about your concerns or ask for advice on how to regulate your hard classes. Your college counselor will serve as your best friend and keep you not only organized with your college lifestyle but organized with your future career plans.
Take a study detox break for your sanity
Lastly, the essential to calm down your stress is to take study break sessions either for only 15 minutes or an hour. If you try to cram in a semester’s worth of knowledge within one night or to finish a difficult project, your brain is going to fry and your academic performance will be inevitably poor. Try going on a walk or watching one episode of your favorite TV show to rejuvenate your brain cells, so you can detoxify your stress and finish your assignments in a relaxed manner.
