The warm weather is here to stay and students are deep into the semester. With professors piling on the projects, papers, homework assignments and exams, it can be difficult to stay focused and stay organized.
March 20 marked the official first day of spring and new attitudes are in the air. It is not uncommon for people to participate in “spring cleaning” to organize their lives before summer starts.
Cleaning and reorganizing is known to increase productivity, reduce stress and enhance focus. Cleaning can also help reduce allergens that tend to flair up in the springtime.
While it is possible to be an unorganized yet successful student, Diana Corona, freshman English major, said she had to make a change when her grades were not what she wanted them to be after her first semester of college.
“I knew I wasn’t organized last semester. I never knew what was going on,” Corona said. “This semester, I made my own planner. I made labels and upcoming due dates. I write everything I have to do in it once a week and highlight them when I’m done.”
Corona also writes inspirational quotes of the week in her planner to keep her motivated.
In addition to planners, making lists is another strategy to make sure students complete all the assignments.
“I make so many lists,” said Sarah Dean, sophomore English major. “Everything I do for the week is laid out for me on a list and every time I complete something, I get the satisfaction of crossing it off.”
Another key to staying organized is learning time management.
“I use a planner to stay organized,” said Jacqui Nuñez, sophomore sociology major. “I lay out what I’m going to do each day to make sure I get done everything I need to.”
Planning each week can be essential to ensuring all assignments and projects are finished.
Another strategy is taking one day to dedicate to cleaning and organizing, like participating in “spring cleaning.”
“I’m not organized at all,” said Jillian Sullivan, junior aviation dispatch major. “I just stay really messy and then on a day off, I clean everything.”
Find time to clean out desks, notebooks, backpacks and dedicate time to writing and planning the week. This could increase productivity and motivation as the semester closes.This may also help students be focused during the rest of the semester and finals.