Categories: Academics

10 Ways To Be More Organized This School Year

A new school year is upon us with new people, new professors, and new opportunities to further your education this semester! In order to be successful this semester, the key is to be organized in your studies, your social life, and other extracurriculars that you will be a part of this year. Here are 10 ways to be more organized this school year!

1. Purchase a Planner

Before the school year even starts, hit up your local office supplies shop or even Target to take a look at the planner selections. Not only will this help to keep your school stuff organized, but it is a fun way to keep everything together.

There are some great academic planners out there that are specifically for students and organization for the school year. If you need something for the entire year, keep an eye out during the new year for a 12-month planner.

2. Purchase a Binder or Organizer

Now that you have your planner for this school year, you need to get some sort of system down for all of the loose papers you will have. As classrooms are moving towards a more technological approach to learning, some stuff will be sent to you by email. But some professors like to play it old-fashioned and keep it to just paper and pen.

One of our favorite ways is to use an accordion file folder or a binder with tabs. This way you can keep all of your classes separated with dividers and have everything in one place. You can stick this in your backpack or on your desk at home so you know where everything is.

3. Organize your Backpack

There’s nothing worse than a cluttered backpack. Especially when you are trying to find something you need in the middle of a lecture. Before the semester even starts, make sure you go through your backpack from last semester! You never know what you’ll find in there, and you definitely don’t want to bring it into this new semester.

Only take the essentials in your bag, and nothing extra. Some paper, a few pens, and some snacks will do the trick with some emergency supplies that you might need on the go. Utilize pockets in your bag to combat the clutter!

4. Syllabus Day

Now it’s the first day of school! For most, the first week is basically a blow-off with syllabus week. You’re in and out pretty quick and you get to ease into the year. Take this week to get organized rather than putting it off!

Take each of your syllabi and organize them in a folder so that you can reference them throughout the year. You can put all of these dates into your planner so you know when each of your assignments is due for your classes!

5. Gel Pens

Not only are they pretty, but they are functional! Grab a pack of different color pens on your next Target run and throw them in your backpack. You can use these for note-taking and your planner for optimal organization!

A small hack for you and your planner is to utilize these gel pens! When you are writing all of your assignments down in your planner, use different colors for your classes. This way you will know that your pink pen is for your math class, and so on!

6. Notion or iCalendar

If you are tech-savvy and see old paper planners as old-fashioned, then we have the trick for you! There are tons of options online that you can utilize on your phone or on your computer to get organized this semester.

Notion and iCal will digitize all of your important events and assignments so that you can see everything you have due this semester without the hassle of carrying a planner.

7. Go to Class

The simplest way to get organized this semester is to go to class. It’s that easy! When you actually attend class, you won’t miss out on important announcements and assignments that your professor might make in class.

Some professors do things in class that are specific to the students that attend class and if you do not go, you miss out! Make sure you take all of your things to class to take notes and jot down any announcements that you hear in class.

8. To-Do List

Maybe before you start your week or your day, write down a to-do list. Break down your week with anything that is due or any upcoming tests you might have. You can go even further and break down your day with your classes for the day, homework, and readings that you will have.

9. Good Note Taking

This is another practice that will have to take place in the classroom. If your lectures are going to be available to you outside of class, take notes over what your professor is saying rather than what is on the slides. Use your best judgment while listening and writing about what should be written down.

Make a few buddies in class to compare your notes to in case you miss something! You can also take the time to organize your notes in a way that will make sense for you and your studying.

10. Homework Time and Fun Time

A good student knows when they might need to stay in for the night to do homework and to student and when they can go out on the town. Try and get your homework done as soon as you get home from class and in a timely manner so you are not cramming.

If you can get all of your studying and assignments done, you will have more time for social events, friends, and all of the other fun things that come with college! This will help you to be organized in all aspects of your life.