New year, new me … or is it? The one promise every college student makes to themselves at the start of every semester is that this time will be different. This time they’ll be organized and stay on top of our coursework. No more frantic runs to the computer to turn in an assignment you didn’t know existed or staying at Ellis Library until finishing your homework the night before it’s due. 

Sounds like a great plan, right? Well, in my experience, that commitment lasts about the first two weeks of the semester, and then everything starts picking up pace and all bets are off. 

However, I’ve learned that if you set a routine for yourself and stick to it — even when you truly do not want to — being organized becomes as easy as breathing. Now you’re probably thinking “OK, sounds great, how do I start?” Well, my fellow Tigers, I’m here to guide you through some of the best ways to keep ourselves organized. 

Have a calendar and finally start keeping track of your days! 

The calendar I find to be most effective is Google Calendar, as you can open it anywhere. Even better, you can sync it to your Canvas account and have all your assignments and exams on your calendar automatically. Now that you’ve established your calendar, you should write in your class schedule and every recurring event — such as your job, club meetings or therapy appointments.  I also find it useful to have a concrete visual of the whole month, with big projects, weekly assignments and exams in the form of a whiteboard calendar in my room. There is more than one way to achieve an organized calendar, so above all, do what works for you!

Planners are lifesavers 

You probably saw this coming, but I can’t make myself clear enough: use a planner. It can be any planner, in any shape and form, but use it to your advantage. There are relatively cheap actual paper planners you can buy at Target, Walmart or Amazon, as you don’t need much as long as it works for you. You can even download planner templates from an online store or the app you use to take notes. Additionally, you could use platforms such as Notion, a platform where you can plan out your daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly tasks. Notion is basically the master spreadsheet of all online planners that even matches your aesthetic. On the other hand, you could be a maverick — such as myself — and make your own planner on a website such as Canva. That way, you can mold it in any way to best suit your needs. 

Don’t Girl Boss too hard: treat yourself!

Finally, make sure you have time to do your homework in a timely manner while also having time to focus on yourself. That means, finishing assignments is just as important as giving yourself the time to rest up and reload your energy. It won’t do any good to work yourself to the bone just to have your mental and physical health in jeopardy. Hence, having a reward system could be a great way to balance yourself. Did you finish the big paper you had due that week? Then go out with friends on the weekend, spend an evening reading or give yourself a day to sleep in. 

Staying organized is about holding yourself accountable. All of this may seem like a never-ending battle, yet keeping yourself accountable to a routine will make college life easier. Remember, it’s never too late to change your lifestyle or to start fresh in the next semester. 

Edited by Abigail Henshaw | ahenshaw@themaneater.com

Copy Edited by Emma Short and Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com