Everyone reaches some point in the school year when they realize they have over extended themselves, feel overly stressed, and just want to give up on themselves. I know I am guilty of this, especially over extending myself and then trying to cram as much into a day as possible. I get overly excited about all the options I have or under estimate how much time some of my commitments take up. There were times this year in college where I was up till two or three in the morning finishing up assignments after working almost ten hours straight. It seems almost impossible to balance between being over extended and bored out of our mind. So here are some ways I help myself keep sane and organized during the year.
Before I begin I want to ask something I ask myself every year. What in your schedule can you not live without? These are the crucial tasks that absolutely must be done today. Think of how much time each of these takes up and be realistic, don’t give yourself five hours to sleep when really you need seven or eight(i’m guilty of this but try best to avoid it). Think of how to best organize these requirements so you don’t end up overlapping and find yourself stressed.
1)Use a planner/calendar
Having a easy to see lay out of the month really helps keep me on track. I like my planners to have a monthly and a weekly view. I put all deadlines, tests/quizzes, school events, siblings events, birthdays, work schedule ect here. It helps me to be able to see everything and plan out how early I need to start homework or studying for tests so I can get the best grade(In college there is a 2 week rule my friends and I use to study for tests). In the weekly Ill put a little tid bit of what was covered in class and any specifics about an assignment that gets assigned. I know a lot of my friends have had success with using a calendar on their phone, another uses sticky notes and writes the essentials, and another uses a wall calendar. Find what works best for you and stick with that.
2)Study early
What I mean by this is start an assignment when you get it, even if its months away so the info is still fresh in your mind. It also means start studying for a test early so that you can start with studying for 30-40 minutes and work your way up to a three or four hour study session a few days before the test.
3)Find time for you
This seems like it wouldn’t have a lot to do with school and your success but stress cause people to shut down. Taking small 10-15 minute breaks after studying for two-three hours helps prevent burning out and getting overly stressed. Find a few things that make you happy and set aside some time for them. They don’t have to
4)Read the content before its covered in class
This helps with comprehension but also allows you to ask questions about the content while it is being covered
5)Make friends
This helps out a lot when there are class projects or a big test coming up. I have a short list of people I talk to all the time about almost everything we do in class. It helps a lot knowing if you miss a class they can help cover you some and its super helpful having a few people you can depend on to study together with
6)Highlight
don’t be afraid to highlight terms, important information or key concepts in your notes. This helps give a focus to the notes and gives a little reminder of what might be important to focus on when the test comes up
7)talking to your teacher/ use professors office hours
This goes for students of all ages, don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek out help. This can be in class or outside of class, for college students this is during office hours. Usually professors have few students coming in and truly want to help if they can. Meeting with the teacher can help establish a relationship which helps with grading later on and can help with finding the best way you learn.
8)record the lectures if you are allowed
This helps if you miss a section of lecture and can help you study in times where you can’t pull out a notebook or textbook.
9)sit in the front if possible
This helps the teachers remember who you are(helps when you go in to ask for help, they are often more friendly) and gives you the least amount of distractions. My chem teacher took a poll of where people sat in class and their average test scores, even those who did not participate much in class but sat in the front did better than those who sat in the back.
10)Have snacks
I have studied with many people who have skipped meals(guilty) or didn’t bring snacks. This can make studying less productive because there isn’t as much focus on the material. The snack can also be used as a reward for reaching a certain point. I liked to bring some brain foods(help memory and brain development) mixed nuts, granola bars, pumpkin seeds, etc and then a cheat snack like cheez its that I would swap out.
11)Eat brain foods
On important days treat your brain, especially those long studying days. A few great options are eggs, blueberries, tea, dark chocolate, avocado, oatmeal, nuts, etc. These foods can really help with concentration and give a little boost.
12) Don’t pull all nighters all the time
This is hard especially when it comes to college but staying up all night for many nights in a row throws your body off, slows you down and can make it harder to remember content from class. Try to get at least 6 hours of sleep every night to keep from burning out and to ensure you get the most of your day. This is hard to do(trust me I know) but it is beneficial in the long run.
13)Color code
Color coding can help your brain associate terms together and help terms stay longer.
14)Use practice exams
If your professor/teacher post practice tests use them to your advantage. Try going through them in the amount of time you would be given without any study tools. See how well you did after and then focus on the areas you did poorly on. Often at least 4-5 questions from the practices are on the test in some form whether it be the same set up or the same kind of question.
15)Move around
Research has shown moving study spots can help with memory. moving around causes our brain to form new associations with the same information so it becomes a stronger memory.
16)Write it out
If possible try to write out notes as you are more likely to remember material written than you are if its typed. For college this is harder to do with lecture, often I type out my notes then go back and review them and possibly write them out later that night.
17) learn what works best
This sounds like common sense but figure out what learning style works best for you. Personally I have to read the material and take notes over the content at the same time for me to really soak up the information. One of my best friends is more auditory and likes to watch videos and listen to videos to help her study. In college you can sometimes choose whether you would like an online text book only or a package that has an online book as well as a paper copy. I find it better to have a paper copy, but some people I study with love the online version.
18)Find your weaknesses
Through out covering the material find sections that you are not as confident on or don’t fully understand. Make a list of them as they appear then try to focus on those sections when studying.
I have decided to create a generalized list of supplies with how I use them that can be used in all the way from middle school to college.I will put in some tips that will be more helpful for college student than others, but I hope you all enjoy. Feel free to message me with any questions or for further explanations :)
I will try to have the tips section up by tomorrow, the original intention was to have the supplies and tips together, but many of the tips go hand in hand with the time management post I was asked to make. As such, I have decided to combine them.
School Supplies; Pencils;
I have tried quite a few types over the years but my favorite ended up being the Bic sparkly mechanical pencils, they weren’t overly thick and they lasted me a long time.
Not really a pencil, but I was unsure of where else to put this. I am huge fan of having clic erasers compared to those on the back of mechanical pencils or the square ones.
Pens/Markers;
I use quite a few types of pens, each one I have a favorite use for. I like to use the Bic pens for everyday things, note cards and for writing in the monthly view of my planner. I like how smooth these pens write as well as how they are not overly expensive and easier to find.
The product I swear by are Staedtler pens. I got my first pack my sophomore year and I fell in love. I still use some of the markers from my first pack to this day and I am in college. They have a vibrant pigment that never leaves you struggling to read notes later and come in a variety of packs that make it easy to get as many(or few) as you wish. I use these for almost everything, especially notes.
I am a big fan of the paper mate flair pens. I like how nicely they write as well as the quality of pigment they have. I use these for note headers, writing in the weekly section of my planner and other small things. I borrowed one of my sisters pens my eighth grade year and have used them for school since.
Last but not least, I like expos brand of thin tip dry erase markers. I like the variety of colors and how long they can last me. I get these for a little bit of an unusual use, I don’t usually use them on an actual whiteboard, but more often on sheet protectors(or my dorm room window) I keep in the back of my chemistry binder for solving problems and drawing out structures when I can’t find a free whiteboard or don’t want to waste paper. These were a lifesaver last year and I used them almost everyday.
Planner;
I cannot emphasize how important having a planner is. I take my syllabus given in the first week of class and write every date in my planner as soon as possible. I also write due dates, important dates,appointments, school events, my work schedule, study dates, important items to bring to class on certain days, and little reminders. A planner helps you stay so much more organized and helps ensure little forgetful mishaps don’t lead to a zero on an assignment or a missed appointment.
Note cards;
I don’t have a specific brand of note card I recommend as all are about the same. I do recommend starting with a white pack and if you like using them then trying a colored pack to help organize. I used colored note cards in my medical terminology class to separate suffixes, prefixes, terms and drawings. If you are a heavily visual person using this system can help memorization using color association.
Highlighters;
This is one of those products where any brand works, the pack you get simply depends on the use and how many colors you desire. I have used simple packs in the past with the four basic colors and it worked well for me. I got the zebra brand this year after a friend recommended them to me as I use them for highlighting notes, highlighting important information in my planner, and as part of color coding. I haven’t gotten to use them much, but I highly recommend them for those who want multiple colors in a thin size as regular.
Folders;
I have a love for five stars plastic folders. I have used them since my freshman year of high school and never went back. They last me a lot longer than paper ones or other brands. I use these for loose papers from my classes as well as a special one that holds my tests for review. I usually match them to a notebook with a different color for each subject. I am trying something different this year with a more patterned notebook however.
With my classes I don’t have a huge need for multiple binders and I really don’t want to carry them around campus either. With that said I get an inch binder to hold chemistry and biology notes. I like to use binder dividers with little pockets in them to keep the subjects separate and it has worked well so far. For subjects that require their own binder, i use the tabs to divide general class papers, handouts, notes, assignments and blank paper from each other. It makes finding papers much easier and the pockets hold papers which can’t be hole punched.
Finally decided to sit down and try to put my “want to do” list in an actual, hopefully attainable order. As I kept making notes and trying to sort things, I kept remembering things to add. It is honestly so frustrating to have so many ideas and concepts kicking around, with not only so little time to dedicate to them, but also enough spoons to mentally allocate to them at the right times.
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