Show Me How to stay organized

Now that the semester has begun, students might have trouble readjusting to the school year and a new set of classes. In an attempt to help students get back on track and be successful throughout the semester, the Daily Lobo sat down with Student Health and Counseling clinical counselor Ray Mitchell to help students understand how to be organized and why it’s so important.

Step 1
Figure out your goals and put your expectations into perspective. Do you have enough time to get all A’s and still maintain a part-time job? Look at your schedule and organize your to-do list from most important to least important, and allot enough time for each thing on your list. If you want to be a successful student, attending class, doing your homework and studying should be at the top of that list.

Step 2
Create a bird’s eye view of your semester by drawing out a timeline for each class so you can keep important dates in order, such as exams and assignment deadlines, and can set aside enough time to complete all your assignments. You might even be able to get some assignments done ahead of time, if you work it into your schedule.

“This gives students a chance to see when the crunch times are going to be. They are going to see if they have three papers due in one week, or something similar,” Mitchell said. “Students are often surprised by how everything meshes together.”

Step 3
Ask yourself what you can and cannot control. Move around more flexible obligations, such as studying or working out, to work around deadlines that are set in stone.

Step 4
Train yourself to have better habits. Work to keep your life in order and tackle chores and responsibilities as soon as you can, instead of waiting until the last minute. Being proactive will help you stay organized. It’s easier to do three or four dishes or one load of laundry at a time, rather than letting the mess pile up.

“Students need to condition their discipline, to condition their willpower; it’s like a muscle,” Mitchell said. “It might be something like doing the dishes that conditions your will for the harder things, the harder things being homework.”

Step 5
Don’t procrastinate and you won’t have to cram. Waiting until the last minute often makes any task more stressful and only clouds your thoughts. Do what you need to do when you need to do it, so you don’t rush through your to-do list at the last minute.

“It is as though procrastination is built into our chromosomes,” Mitchell said. “It is going to take some extra discipline to get yourself to do a paper early to avoid a crunch at the end, but it will pay off.”