Clothes… check.
School supplies… check.
Books… check.
Food… check.
Wait! Am I really ready for this semester?
Let’s face it. College is hard. It has never been easy for students to make it through a semester without some kind of hardship or test of perseverance.
As busy students, getting our workload and extra curricular schedule in balance, planning our assignments, keeping up with our reading, and trying to balance our social life seems almost impossible.
Before you know it, you’re knee deep in deadlines and papers and have no idea how you even got there.
Doesn’t it sometimes feel insurmountable? Overwhelming? Discouraging? Don’t worry! There is a solution to this challenge.
Move-in day sets the pace for your entire semester
Getting a strong start to the semester can make or break your entire year. It sets the standard for your study habits. It’s establishes your time management cadence.
Two of the best things I have integrated into my daily routine over my past three years as a student are:
1) whiteboard / desk calendars
2) daily checklists
Organize your life both manually and digitally
First, keep a large wall or desk calendar somewhere you constantly look. This allows you to remain focused on your schedule throughout the day. Color code different assignments, exams and events to keep your time management simplified.
Second, use an organizational app such as LifeSpace, which has an amazing checklist function that integrates into your classes and personal goals. I’ll personally be using LifeSpace this semester to promote balance, meal prep, and execution of my 23-credit semester and will be relying on it from the first day I move in!
The sooner you have things in front of you to help you organize your day, the more you will form success habits and establish routines that become second nature.
Monitor your schedule every day for any changes. Sometimes you won’t remember what you have going on, but walking by your wall calendar or logging into your mobile checklist can remind you about things you might have otherwise forgotten.
These tools enforce responsibility, time management and organization. The keys to success as a student.
Most importantly, review your organization tools daily and keep them updated.
Use your LifeSpace checklists to track your short term to-dos, class assignments, event planning, committees, clubs, and whatever else you participate in!
Use your desk or wall calendar to plan into the future, remember key dates and review the past.
College is hard. But with a strong start and establishing good habits, you can have a strong finish!
You’re going to do great! Especially if you get a great start.
Keep looking up!
—Ange C.
Neuroscience Major
Norwich University ‘20