Staying organized is something that should be done often and can actually provide benefits for the long run. Some of these benefits include reducing stress and saving time and resources. For example, if you have an organized space around you, you are able to find things easier. However, not everyone knows how to stay organized. To help you solve disorganization, we are providing five helpful tips that everyone can easily do.

• Create a good morning and night routine.

Having organization is all about establishing good habits and one of the most common things that college students struggle with is their morning and night routines. Many students find themselves going to bed late and then having to wake up early to get to their classes. Reasons why students go to bed late depends on the individual. Some might spend their nights dedicated to their studies while others spend it on their phones or binging TV shows.

The first step in creating a routine is to keep any electronic devices away from you and to end any screen time within an hour before sleeping. Students should try going to bed early in order for them to wake up early in the morning without feeling groggy. When students are able to wake up refreshed, they can spend more time preparing themselves for the day by eating a good breakfast, practicing good health and self care and preparing any school materials together. If students can establish a good routine, they won’t have to rush to class in the morning.

• Prioritize tasks.

There are many events and assignments happening in college life and sometimes it can be overwhelming. It’s never a good idea to focus on several things at once and try to cram everything last minute. The best way to prevent this is by laying out all your tasks and deciding which ones need to get done first. A to-do list is a common way to do this. You can easily grab a piece of paper or find an app on your mobile device to help create one. 

Once you’ve written down your list, you can prioritize the important parts that need more attention than others. For instance if you have a list of upcoming assignments, work on the ones that are due sooner rather than the ones that have later due dates. However, the way you prioritize is ultimately up to you.

• Clean your area.

A lot of the time our workspaces can become cluttered, especially when we are busy working on big projects. If there’s too much of a mess, it can prevent you from getting the job done and essentially waste time. It’s easy to lose any materials needed to complete your work; you may spend too much time trying to relocate them. After working on something, make sure that everything you use is cleaned up and organized. There are affordable products that can help with organization and can easily fit in a dorm room. Examples include a storage caddy, foldable shelves, desk organizers and more.  

• Use calendars and planners.

Calendars and planners are a great way to plan out all the events that are happening. They can be small enough to carry around or you can find digitized types as well. Whenever something needs to be recorded, write it down as soon as you can in your planner. Relying on your memory won’t always prove to be as effective. 

However, calendars and planners can be used wrong. Don’t fill every empty space with a task, otherwise you won’t have much flexibility if you need to move things around and too many errands can create stress. You need to have room for breaks as well.

• Keep things in the same place.

We have all misplaced something at some point in our lives and it probably took us a while to find it again. Keeping objects in the same place prevents the possibility of losing that item. Once you are done using an item, put it in a place where you can find it again and do it as soon as possible. If you toss it onto the coffee table and tell yourself you’ll do it later, it may not happen. 

Staying organized can help you greatly in your day to day activities. Taking that time to make sure everything is in order can reduce stress and save you valuable time. These are only five simple tips that can help you, there are many more out there. Make it a goal to take these into consideration and build to more ways that you find suits you.

Works Cited

Mires, Ericson Ay. (2021). Getting Organized Effectively in 9 Easy Steps. Retrieved from https://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/getting-organized-effectively-9-easy-steps.html