With the start of a new semester students across the globe dedicate themselves to staying organized once and for all. Fresh out of the previous semester’s exams, which had them scrambling to gather notes and read all the material they only pretended to read beforehand, they vow to be more determined, more disciplined, more prepared.
Why are these vows never ‘till-death-do-we-part”? Because while noble in intention, few people actually have the correct tools and willpower to stick to their resolutions. I say this with a massive plank in my eye, because I too have fallen prey to the allure of Netflix over my textbooks. However, these tricks have always managed to help keep me on track, and I hope they help you, too.
How to stay organized and productive during the semester:
1). Make a list of all of your projects—essays, presentations, exams, etc.—and list them in order of due date. Color-code them by class, and draw a little square beside each one. Whenever you finish something on your list, check it off! It will give you a sense of accomplishment and help you visually see what is due and how soon.
2). Keep all of your notes in one notebook. This reduces the chances of you misplacing one of however many notebooks, and allows you to carry less as you go from classes to home. “But I love all of my pretty notebooks—” just do it. Trust me.
3). Live a balanced life. There are four areas of life: physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual.
Physical: Get active! I try to dedicate thirty minutes every day to exercising. It may not seem like a lot of time, but it is a consistent amount of time I can spare in my busy schedule, and trust me: I sweat hard for that half hour.
Emotional: Do something you love! Hang out with friends! Relax! Bask in your hobbies! This is good for your emotional health.
Spiritual: Spend some time in the word, in prayer, in community, in worship. God is going to honour your times of rest.
Finally, intellectual: DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Now that all the other areas of your life are in sync, you will be more productive and will be more motivated!
4). Reward yourself! Set mini goals for yourself so that when you hit them, you will feel accomplished and want to continue to work hard! Whenever I finish a big project, I get a Slurpee. Classic conditioning, my friends.
5). Alright. We all know the real reason you aren’t organized or productive. Netflix. Net-just-one-more-episode-and-then-I’ll-study-just-kidding-make-that-six-flix. Some would tell you to just turn it off, but we all know that stopping watching a show mid-season on Netflix is like abandoning a child in the cold wilderness. So here’s a different plan: work hard all week. Get done everything you need to before the weekend. As soon as class is over Friday, stock up on snacks, go home, hit the couch, turn on Netflix, and binge watch the rest of your show. Just get it over with. As soon as Monday hits, you will be clean and ready to tackle the semester once more.
Good luck!