How to set yourself up for a successful semester
Tips and tricks for online organization
Does anyone else feel like it’s harder to get back into a routine when the semester is virtual versus in-person? Or maybe you already figured out your routine in January so you could hit the ground running for the spring semester. Either way, I am here to share some tips and tricks for organization in order to set up for a successful semester.
Calendars, lists, and planners are key to any organized person. Have these tools accessible for you to see and use them every day.
Schedule everything out
Everyone’s priorities are different when it comes to work-life balance, so figure out what you believe to be most important before you set up a schedule or take on more work. For example, my hierarchy is as follows:
School
Work
Time for family and friends
Time for myself
Outside activities (such as clubs and organizations)
It’s important to note that everyone is different, but it is a good idea to have your hierarchy at the forefront of your mind when scheduling so you know where your priorities are. When setting up my semester schedule, I first figure out what classes I need to take, then I let my work know my availability based on that. I also make sure I have enough time for the people in my life (including myself), and I am always thinking about my other commitments such as writing for The Wheel.
It may be helpful to schedule in time to get homework and other classwork/projects done. It can also be nice to schedule short naps or free-time throughout the day to make sure you give yourself breaks.
Calendars are your friend
Google Calendar is a great tool for St. Kate’s students because our university already has a G-Suite system. This means that you can easily email and share documents, slides, and your personal calendar with other St. Kate’s students, staff, and faculty.
I would encourage you to put your entire schedule into calendars and share it with your friends or roommates. There are a lot of features of Google Calendar that are really helpful and it is a very user-friendly system.
It is very easy to share your Google Calendar with friends so you can see how your schedules overlap.
Whiteboard calendars are a great tool if you are the kind of person who physically needs to write things down. I personally have a whiteboard that I rewrite every month. It’s great for visually laying out what I need to do that week — when I have class, when I have work, what holidays are coming up, etc. Plus, it is so satisfying to erase it when I complete a task!
Invest in a planner
Planners are also great tools for people who need to write everything down in order to remember it. You can use the planner any way you want to. Some people may use it as a calendar, and other people may use it specifically for remembering what homework they need to do each week. For me, my planner is a place I write anything and everything down, no matter how big or small it is.
Some examples of things to write down in a planner are when bills and rent are due, paydays, when timesheets need to be turned in, homework to do, etc. I also write my class and work schedules in my planner.
Another tip for all my calendar and planner users is to color-code everything for your convenience. Personally, I color-code based on the type of note I’m making in my planner (holiday, work, class, homework, reminders, etc.) However, I know quite a few people who color-code by class, so every meeting or assignment that has to do with a certain class is the same color.
Lists, lists, lists
If you are someone who likes lists (obviously, this is me too — have you read any of my other articles?), Google Keep is an excellent resource for you to use. Keep is a Google app where you create to-do lists, grocery lists, and other lists and keep them all in the same place. Users are also able to share lists with friends or pin the most important lists. 10/10 would recommend.
Plan homework ahead of time
One way to stay on top of homework is to stay ahead of it in your planner, calendar, or whatever tool you use to keep track. Every class has some form of a syllabus that has the semester’s homework and lectures planned out, at least to a certain extent, so you technically could plan out your homework for the entire semester if you wanted to.
However, sometimes it’s easier to write down your homework month-by-month, or even week-by-week, it just depends on what works best for you and makes you feel most prepared.
Near the end of each month, I look through my syllabi and write down the homework and projects due for the next month. I’m always looking ahead throughout the days and weeks to see what’s coming up and what I need to be working on in order to get my work done on time.
My roommate does something similar but she plans her homework out week-by-week on her iPad by listing everything that is due for the next week. Then, as she finished assignments, she crosses them off.
