Ask Becca: Oct. 27, 2016

Rebecca Rue
Opinion Editor

*Sending advice your way to deal with your dates, deadlines, and dorm mates every week*

Dear Becca,

I have so much going on between classes, extracurriculars and work. I have wanted to become better organized for awhile now, but it keeps falling by the wayside as I rush around to get my tasks accomplished in time. Do you have any organizational tips that could help me?

Sincerely,
A Hot Mess

Dear A Hot Mess,

I understand how you feel. With so many different things on our plate to worry about, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and stress that we might not get everything done in time, or to the best of our capabilities.

The blog “Sara Laughed” on www.SaraLaughed.com gives many different tips on this particular subject.

Sara suggests, “Keep binders, folders, and/or notebooks for each of your classes. Everyone is different, but I find binders the easiest for most of my classes. Find out which one(s) work best for you and then do your best to keep them organized.”

On a similar note, she also advises, “Give each class a color. Each of my classes gets a distinct and separate color like blue, red, or green. I then match all my binders and notebooks for that class to that color, so that they are easier to find and grab when I am on the go.”

I do this myself. I keep a separate folder for each of my classes with all of the notes and paperwork in it, and when it becomes too full, I transfer it to a binder for easy organization.

This way, I can keep my folders in my backpack at all times and I don’t have to worry every day about which ones I need or don’t need.

I also have a different color assigned to each class every semester, and I try to keep the same color attached to a particular professor if I have them again.

It is up to you in how you prefer to organize yourself in this way to cut back on time.

Another idea Sara proposes is, “Make yourself a schedule. Making yourself a schedule, even by using Google Calendar and screenshotting it, can be really useful.”

Personally, I make myself a list of tasks every day on my phone so I have something to reference to make sure I am getting everything done.

Homework is first, and anything else important such as projects, papers, or household tasks go right underneath.

Whether it’s a personal checklist or a more complete schedule, decide whatever works best for you. As long as you are getting everything done, that’s all that matters.

How to handle your deadlines is another topic Sara tackles, “Set your own deadlines. This has saved me countless times when it comes to writing essays. If you have two essays due on the same day, vow to finish one of them on a different date; for example, a week or three days before it’s due.”

Know your schedule and what your teachers expect of you. Look through your syllabus and make a general due date list of all of your assignments.

If any of them are close together, figure out your own personal deadlines and goals of when to get things accomplished.

For more of Sara’s tips, visit “Sara Laughed” on www.Sara-Laughed.com.

I hope you are able to reach your goals this semester. Good luck Hot Mess.

Email Becca At:
rrue@live.esu.edu