How To: Organize Your College Life

Organizing Your College Life

Everyone has, at some point, gone to college or attempted to go to college but either found it very difficult, too stressful, or couldn’t afford it. Well whatever your reason, if you are able to finally go back to school I highly recommend following these 4 simple tasks to ensure you have a more enjoyable experience with school without all the stress of life attached.

As a college student myself, I know the importance of organizing, and consider myself a professional at turning in papers before they are due. With the crazy happenings of life on and off-line, I felt it important to share with all of you how I cope with organizing your college life.

Step 1: Organizing Your Time

As a former coworker and Master Sergeant in the Air Force once told me, “Always write your appointments on three places.” This could be your notebook that you carry with your everyday, your cell phone/tablet/laptop, desk top computer, watch, etc. Just make sure you write down all your appointments (from personal, to children, to spouse and school) on three places. The next step is to ensure you schedule your classes around important or unchangeable events such as child custody, weekly doctor appointments, etc.

Once you have three places that you have all of your schedules allocated in and a good idea of when your most important events happen, take a look at a calendar and find out which days are best for you to take classes.

After you have decided which days are best, COMMIT to them. Ensure they are focused for that particular class and you get adequate time to study before and after. I like to study an hour before class, and then an hour after class but later in the evening. If it’s an evening class, I will study before the class to catch up on notes, and then after the class in the morning when I first wake up with my breakfast and Turkish coffee.

Alright, so now you got the time put down. Now what? Let’s focus on YOU!

Step 2: Organizing Your Mind

As Albert Einstein once said, “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”

Let’s develop both of these quotes further; Utilize your own abilities and strengths to find what you are good at. Do you need to study in the morning? Do you have to study in the morning? Do you prefer to be alone, enclosed in a room, or in a library full of people? Find what works for you.

If you can understand a routine and have a logical approach, you’ll get from A to Z. All well and done, but you’re going to get bored, so spice it up a bit sometimes!

Whether you choose the house, library, or beach, switch it up sometimes and do something different. Study when you go out to eat and be inspired from everything around you. Or better yet, right outside your home or in the backyard. Be influenced and inspired by nature around you. You’d be surprised the energy you can get from fresh air.

Okay, so you’ve decided on how and where you will tackle your studies. What about after?

It’s detrimental to ensure your area is clean and well organized the next time you come back to it, which leads me to…

Step 3: Organizing Your Home

The worst thing about settling in my comfy chair surrounded by books, the bitter scent of Turkish coffee, grandiose music, and a fish tank is settling in when there is clutter. I know many of you may have an issue with constantly keeping your area tidy, clean and organized… but I implore you to spend that extra 10-15 minutes after your finish studying to clean up the area and a few minutes before you sit down.

Once you have your time, mind and home organized, nothing will stop you from being a superior college student whether on-line or not.

Step 4: Wrapping it Up

Now that you have this plan of action started, apply it all! Tell others about it, discuss it with your loved ones and spouse. Take time to start a plan and initiate it now. The sooner you get started on a plan to help you prepare for college and be organized, the happier and less stressed you will feel. Go ahead! Give it a try!