Happy Tuesday! I realize that these past couple of weeks, I have been extremely M.I.A on my blog. One of my goals for the New Year was to create a blog schedule and stick to it. While I may have taken a three week break, I am so excited to be back!
These past three weeks, something that I have realized is the importance of being transparent as it promotes authenticity. I am sure that I have said this before, but school has been kicking my butt and balancing work and an internship has been rough, especially as graduation is just around the corner for me and job searching has felt like a job of it’s own. While, I am fortunate to say that I do have a job lined up after I graduate this May (which I am super excited for!), I think that it is important to highlight that I definitely would not be in the situation that I am in if I did not strive to be organized and productive throughout my college career.
Often times people compliment me on the fact that I am one of individuals who is extremely organized and well put together which I definitely try my best to do. I also think it is also important to know that nothing that looks good comes easy and that the person that you think may have everything together on the outside may also be exhausted on the inside. As a result through my high school and college career and my various jobs and internships, I have found that the only way that you can receive and achieve great results, is that you have to be willing put in the work; and when I say work I mean productive work.
This inspired me to write today’s blog post where I will share some of my tips that I use to stay organized and productive while managing a busy schedule.
1. Write Down All Your Tests and Deadlines and for remainder of the semester
My planner is my life line and I write everything from due dates, meetings, work schedule, appointments, etc inside of it. Specifically for my assignments, at the beginning of the semester I go through each syllabus for each class and write all the due dates down in my planner. You can also do this electronically, but me personally I am old-school and prefer pencil and paper. I have found that this method works best for me because it provides me the opportunity to look ahead at dates for future projects and tests.
2. Set Out Your Clothes For the Week
This is something that I have done since I was in Elementary School and still continue today. I actually had it easy in High School because I attended Private School and wore a uniform! Essentially, what I do each Sunday is pick out 5-7 outfits for the week and iron and hang them up, so that when that day comes I can just grab an outfit and do not have to waste time in the morning searching and trying to piece together outfits while I am rushing out the door. The reason I pick out an extra outfit or two is in case there is a change in weather or just to have a few more options.
3. Use Block Scheduling for Studying
When it comes to studying everyone has different habits. Some can study in groups, some have to study by themselves, some can study with music and some have to study in complete silence. I personally like to study with music and like using Quizlet, however when it comes to “how” I manage my time by block scheduling. To do so, I set a timer and will study until the timer goes off and then I will take a break and go run a few errands, talk to my friends, or watch some t.v. and then come back and set the timer again and start studying. I have found that this method comes in handy when you are trying to study for multiple subjects at once. Breaks are SUPER important because in the past there have been times where I have tried to study for multiple exams at once and it did not work out well and left me extremely stressed.
4. Color Code Your Subjects
Color coding is how I keep track of all my classes! This was a habit that I started my freshman year of high school for my notebooks and folders and have carried it with me throughout college. For example, my folders and notebooks for science were green, math was blue, religion was purple, English was Orange, Foreign Language was Yellow and History was red. Obviously as a second semester senior, I no longer have all these different subjects as I am only taking classes that pertain to my major. Using this method, makes it easier to keep everything organized especially when you are packing your bag for the day.
5. Waking Up Earlier and Going To Bed at a Reasonable Hour
This semester I have an 8 A.M. class which as a commuter definitely has not been fun. However, on days where I do not have my early morning class., I still like to get up at 6 or 7 a.m. because I have found that I am so much more productive. During this time I will usually work out and then work on some homework. In addition to waking up earlier, I have also been going to bed at a more reasonable hour. I am a night owl and and am most productive at night, but have found that since I have been waking up earlier, I cannot stay up as late or I will be extremely tired the next day. Therefore, establishing a solid sleeping schedule is super important!
6. Make sure you have a balance of school, work and social life
This was something that I really struggled with my Sophomore Year and first semester of my Junior Year of College. I felt as if I was a constant schedule or school, work, eat, and sleep where I barely had time for myself to just relax or hang out with my friends and was essentially running myself thin. Establishing a balance is super important to ensure that this doesn’t happen!
