Welcome to the world of college or university life.  You’re going to be busy.  There’s so much, a lot of it fun and exciting, to do.  To keep up with the pace of college life, get yourself organized as soon as you step on campus or log into your first online postsecondary course.

If you’ve ever spent several moments or even as much as half an hour hunting for your eyeglasses, car keys or wallet only to discover that the item/s were less than an arm’s reach away, buried beneath a stack of papers or a pile of clothes, you know how important it is to get organized.  Lack of organization can cause you to waste time.  It can also cause you to feel frustrated, as you search for college or university textbooks, assignments, research papers and projects you spent hours completing.  Imagine your final class is starting in less than ten minutes.  The hall the class is located in is seven minutes across campus (if you run) and you can’t find your final thesis, a paper that your professor told you is worth half your final grade.

Tips to Get Yourself Organized at College or University

Get yourself organized and you can avoid this type of panicky scene.  Steps you can take to get yourself organized include:

• Use space dividers to store your clothes, shoes and college or university supplies (e.g. computer notebooks, laptop, calculators, note cards)
• Create a list of action items you want to complete each day (e.g. study for an upcoming exam, clean your dorm room)
• Fill in appointments (e.g. get annual medical checkup, meet with tutor) on a daily planner or desk or wall calendar
• Remove clutter from your room at home or at college.  Consider donating the items to charity or a local thrift store
• Title a study notebook for each course that you take.  Keep the notebooks with the college or university textbook that’s associated with the notes

Living in a clutter-free space can help you to feel organized in your thoughts, so consider regularly removing clothes and other items you no longer use from your dorm or home.  You can also label files and keep research papers, notes you take in class and documents you print off the Internet in hanging file folders connected to your study desk. 

If you have difficulty getting up for morning classes, use an alarm clock.  Over time, your body will adjust to getting up in the morning and you might notice that you wake up naturally 30 minutes before your first class starts.  Also schedule specific days and times each week to study, this will help you to create effective study habits.  And of course, set aside time each day to enjoy a walk, jog, game of tennis or other form of exercise and relaxation.

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