How to Stay Organized in College

Hey friends,
I hope your Monday has treated you well so far!

I have kind of touched on this in previous posts (Do's and Don'ts of Freshman Year + Business Advice to a College Student ), but I felt like I should make a separate post about what I do specifically to stay organized as a college student (which ultimately helps to be a successful college student). 

No. 1 // I buy a nice planner. 
I love having a planner because I am a very visual person so seeing the commitments or assignments that I have do on a certain day helps me plan better. It is also nice because I can visualize a goal & set my mind to reach it.

Personally, my favorite planners are the academic year planners that have a monthly + daily view. 

Monthly + weekly work too, but I have found that I have more space to work with in the monthly + daily planners. 

This is the one I used for my Freshman year and it was pretty great (other than I hated how it was wire-bound. Pulling it in and out of my book bag kind of ruined it).

// Monthly + Daily Planner

I have also used this planner in the past

// Monthly + Weekly Planner

Once I find out my class schedule for my semester, I take it and write down the class times on that specific day. 

Along with my classes, in the monthly view, I also write down the days I have tests, papers, and projects and highlight them. 

I also color code my classes, and stick with that color scheme throughout my whole school year. I have done this since being a Junior in high school & it may be excessive, but it really helps keep things organized and separated. 

Next, if I have a monthly + daily view planner, I go in and write down all my classes on that specific day as well as tests, projects, or papers that are due. I also write down extra meetings or events that I need to attend. 

This specific planner also has a place for a to-do list, which is awesome. 

Normally the night before, I write down things I know I have to do the next day so I don't forget (which would totally happen if I didn't write it down).

Then it has another column that I use to write down homework goals that I want to get accomplished on that certain day.



No. 2 // I use binders instead of notebooks for classes. 

I divide up the binders by the classes I have on the same day.
So lets say I have Music Theory & Public Speaking on the same day, I will put those in the same binder and add a divider. 



No. 3 // I print out every class syllabus 

After I have printed out every class syllabus, I put it in the corresponding binder for that class.
I also highlight every test, paper, or project that is marked on the syllabus. Sometimes I will stick a syllabus in the back of a binder in the plastic protective sheet.



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This may seem excessive and like I am a little compulsive, but it is sooooo worth it! 
I can always plan ahead and rarely does a test or paper slip up on me because "I forgot about it." 
It may take some extra time at the beginning of the school year, but you'll appreciate it in the end.


Let me know if you tried any of my tips or things that you do to stay organized in college (or high school). 
I'd love to hear!

As always you can keep up with me on Instagram: @sydneyaphotography or Pinterest: @sammerck

Have a great week!