Here are 5 super easy and manageable ways to stay organized while balancing a busy schedule.
Step 1: Managing Your Time
Being able to manage your time is a very important aspect when it comes to organization. In order to stay organized it is essential to keep track of all of your assignments, events and activities. A simple way to do this is by keeping an agenda. This allows you to mark down important notes and reminders for the day, or even upcoming week. The choice is yours to decide whether you buy an agenda at the store or download an app online. Sometimes even a calendar is beneficial to track your busy schedule. Time management is extremely important in order to balance, school, work and whatever else you may involve yourself in. Being able to limit procrastination and focus on the task in front of you can lead to better use of time. Another way to manage time is by weighing out what you have to do by most to least urgent. Make sure you are doing the most mandatory take first before something that doesn't have to be handled until later in the future. It is often we do not find enough time in the day to complete all tasks at hand, but by laying out your day/week before fully diving into it will help you in the long run.
Step 2: Sectioning Your Work
Sectioning your work is one of the biggest keys to staying organized. Sectioning your work allows you to keep track of all of your assignments and projects. It also allows you to keep track of what is finished and what still needs to be worked on. Dividing your binders by each subject and using dividers to separate units/chapters can help you to find the things you need quickly. If you section your work properly, you will find it is simpler to read notes and do homework because all of the information on a certain topic can be found in one place. Putting your work in sections can lead to a higher success rate on tests and assignments. Sectioning books and notes will help you to gather your thoughts properly and do the best you can in everything you do.
Step 3: Colour Coordination
A great way to stay organized is by colour coordinating your work. This could involve choosing certain colours for your books and binders or writing in certain colours for your notes. You could choose which colours to make your binders so that it will signify which subject each is found in. Using coloured dividers to help you recall each unit or even colourful sticky notes to highlight certain papers that hold important information. Writing in colour can be very beneficial when trying to memorize certain studies or terminology. If you have an upcoming test with lots of important descriptions, writing the descriptions in colour can help to stimulate your mind and spark your memory. It is proven that a colour can make you remember something better. If you are able to remember the colour the term was written in you have a higher chance of knowing the definition.
Step 4: Keeping Things Clean
It is mandatory to keep your environment clean in order to stay organized. If the area where you work is deemed unfit because it is cluttered it will be hard to remain focused. Messes in your room, desk or locker can lead to uncertainty on where you left papers or books and can upset the task at hand. If you do not keep your space clean it is easy to lose important materials. A study was conducted and it showed that, People who described their homes as “cluttered” or full of “unfinished projects” were more depressed, fatigued, and had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol than people who felt their homes were “restful” and “restorative,” Staying clean can lead to a more organized, positive and happy you.
Step 5: Reward Yourself For Changed Behaviour
Commitment to a very new organizing behavior is easier said than done. It is simple to fall back into bad habits after losing motivation. If you fear ruining your organization habits, then repeat the behavior 21 days in a row. It takes repeating a new behavior 21 days in a row before it becomes a habit. Beware, you will resist new behaviors. You may have to start over again several times if you find yourself sliding back into old messy habits. When you reach the 21st day, reward yourself with something you enjoy, go out to eat or go see a movie. Use email, TV or a phone call to a friend as a reward for doing your best to stay organized.