Have you ever turned in a late assignment because you simply forgot when it was due? Having a system for keeping all of your deadlines and obligations organized is essential to college success.
Even if you were able to keep track of everything in your head during high school, college offers so much more to keep track of. It can be overwhelming.
Keeping a calendar and a daily list will help you. The daily list is where you write down everything you plan to do during a particular day. The calendar is where you jot your more long-term deadlines.
It doesn’t matter what your calendar and list look like, as long as you keep them with you during the day. I prefer to use a small pad of paper as my list and thin pocket planner as my calendar because they don’t take up much room in my school bag.
If you choose to use this method, make sure to keep a pen attached to your list at all times. You’ll want to have it handy to write down an obligation as soon as you find out about it. The more time you have to wait to write something on your list or calendar, the more likely it is that you’ll forget.
Many students like to keep their list and calendar digitally on their phone instead. Just make sure that whichever application you choose to do this allows you to enter new information with just one or two keystrokes.
If you have to sort through many different menus to put a deadline in your calendar, you’ll be less likely to do it.
Business law junior Bree Farmer said that she uses multiple calendars and lists to keep track of all of the details of her very busy life.
“I have an agenda on my phone for each day, I have an office calendar for my home, I use a USG calendar in my office on campus, then lastly I have an agenda solely for academics,” Farmer said.
It may seem like this system takes a lot of time, but it shouldn’t have to take more than a few minutes.
According to “Study Skills,” an academic support document published by Ohio State University, “Planning your day takes very little time and can really pay off.” Keeping your system simple and easy ensures that you will actually use it.
Developing an organized system of time management is important not only to succeed in college, but also to success in life after graduation as well.
Robert Atkinson, an associate professor of computer science and educational technology, said that when students continue with their field of study, they must keep up the good habits they’ve learned in college by, “applying the same time management skills required for success in college to their post-college professional lives.”
The most important thing is to find a system that works for you and make it a habit.
Then you will continue to stay organized in whatever endeavor your choose.
Emily Schwartz can be reached at emily.muller@asu.edu Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press newsletter.
