How to stay organized in school

By Joyce St. Antoine

How do you stay organized in school?

You could easily Google tips and tricks on learning habits to keep yourself organized, such as having a daily planner, using sticky notes, or colour coordinating with highlighters, but not all ideas work for everyone.

Kat Bezaire, third-year history and modern languages student at the University of Windsor, uses a day planner to keep organized. She said it is the only thing keeping her on schedule.

“It takes 21 days to develop a habit, so you have to force yourself to remember to write those dates down,” said Bezaire. “Buy a cute looking day planner, not a bland one, because it’s catching to the eye.”

Most colleges provide a planner free to students or you can get one from a bookstore. It will hopefully help you keep track of your assignments and due dates. Highlighters are also important if you are a visual person. You can can colour-code based on importance.

Another tip from Bezaire in keeping yourself caught up and organized is initiating a friendship with at least one or more peers from your classes. In case you are sick, or you miss classes and lectures for other reasons, Bezaire believes having a buddy is certainly a good idea.

“I try to make friends with people in the same classes so I can use them as a reference and vice versa. But relying on friends really does not always work out,” said Bezaire.

There are many ways we can reach for a friend to help. Most of us have a mobile device in our pocket to communicate with our friends, but it can also be used to alert yourself on what is upcoming by setting up notifications through your calendar.

“Setting phone alerts reminds us of upcoming important dates for assignments. Remind apps and e-alerts for upcoming tests and due dates are also helpful tools. Stay ahead and know when due dates are coming by reviewing them weekly,” said Cindy Pastorius, an English teacher at Catholic Central High School.

You are more likely to remember your cellphone than a planner.

“Prioritizing what must get done immediately and what can wait helps. I make a checklist and check things off as I complete them,” said Pastorius.

Time management is another very important tidbit in making sure that you are well-organized for the school year ahead. Why? Because some may find it easy to get confused, fall behind on assignments and lose track.

“Staying ahead of the game as much as possible is imperative but should you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath, try to make a quick list of most important to least important, give an estimated amount of time it will take, grab a cup of coffee, and get to work,” said Pastorius. She also recommends scheduling breaks for food, a quick walk or something fun.

With these four simple steps, organization should be easy-peasy.