How to Stay Organized in College: 3 Tips to Minimize Frustration & Maximize Success
A Straightforward Approach to Organization for Students
Some students struggle with organization and when they get to college it can make their experience challenging and stressful. College students are expected to do more work outside of their classes, have days with more unscheduled time than high school, and are often living away from their families for the first time. Unless you’re organized, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and fall behind.
On top of that, how to be organized isn’t always taught. A 2022 survey found that 47% of college students feel their high school did not prepare them with the organizational skills required to do well in college. Thankfully, with a few good tips it’s a skill that can be learned. Adopting techniques to get and stay organized will set you up for more success in college and life.
Try these three tips for how to stay organized in college to jumpstart your organizational journey.
How to Stay Organized in College
1. Organize your life
Use a planner. In college you have tons to keep track of: assignments, exams, social life, extracurriculars, work and more. Trying to keep track of what is due, where you need to be, and when, in your head, can be overwhelming. The most organized students use a planner to keep track of all their commitments and plan when they will do them. In fact, a recent study has proven that “paper planner users take a broader, big-picture perspective during planning, which also leads to higher-quality plan development and a great likelihood of plan fulfillment.”
Use your planner to schedule out your week by noting when you’re in class and any other times that you have commitments (i.e. work, extracurriculars, self-care, social).
CRITICAL: Add to your schedule daily study blocks and “attend” them like any other commitment on your calendar. In addition, use your planner to record all of your assignments from weekly readings to midterms and finals. You want to be able to see everything you have going on in one place so that you can better prioritize and plan your time effectively.
Be sure to update your planner regularly, adding in new assignments and commitments. Some college students like to do this on Sunday morning (set a reminder on your phone) as a way to get organized for the week and avoid the Sunday Scaries. By figuring out what you have to do and when you are going to do it not only reduces stress, but also sets you up for success. Don’t underestimate this tip for staying organized in college, it really works.
2. Organize your stuff
Keep your space organized. Make sure your desk, dorm room, or apartment is clean and clutter free. This may not happen every day but pick at least one or two days a week where you put on your favorite music and take time to put everything away. If you live in a dorm, space can be tight. Check out these tips for some creative ways to manage your room. An organized space allows you to find what you need when you need it which decreases stress!
Keep your notes organized. Use a notebook and pen or laptop to take notes during lectures, and review them regularly. Whether you’re taking notes physically or digitally, be sure to label your notes with the name of the class and the date. For those of you paper-people who like color, consider using different colored notebooks for each class. This will help you to be able to easily grab the right notes on your way out the door. You can also use folders and binders to keep track of course material. Being able to access the materials you need when you need them without having to search through piles of papers or lists of PDFs is a huge time saver. Making use of digital tools, such as note-taking apps and cloud storage, is a great way to keep track of information and easily collaborate with classmates.
Keep your digital files organized. Almost all college students uses some sort of cloud storage system for documents. The search function makes it easy to search for documents that you remember the name of. But for those documents you may have forgotten to give a specific name or simply don’t remember the name of at all? Well, the search function can’t help you out there.
Save your future self a ton of time by setting up a digital organization system. The best way to organize assignments and files is to create a folder for each of your classes and store all assignments and docs in that folder. You can even go so far as to name each document with the name of the course (i.e. ECON_101_ProblemSet3) in the folder. You want to spend your time in college doing the things that matter: don’t waste your precious time searching for files. Set up a system at the beginning of each term and be diligent about using it.
3. Start assignments early and get help when you need it
Most classes in college lay out your work for the entire term in the syllabus. This gives you the opportunity to start your assignments early to make sure that you understand what you need to do and feel confident that you can do it. If you don’t, seek help when needed. Don’t hesitate to ask for help from professors, classmates, or tutors if you are struggling with a subject or need assistance staying organized.
The sooner you realize you need some additional support the more likely you will have the opportunity to get it. College students who wait until the last minute often are not able to take advantage of office hours or tutoring sessions because they’re full.
How to Be Organized for College FAQs
Do organized students do better in college?
Yes, without a doubt organized students do better not only in college, but in all areas of life. Supported by research, organization is a prerequisite for success. The results of a 2008 study show that teaching students organization skills pays off in the form of overall preparedness, decreased frustration, and improved grades.
Organized college students know exactly what they need to do and by when. This allows them to make a plan for how they will complete all of their assignments and schedule the appropriate amount of time to do. In general, organized students procrastinate less because they’re clear about all of their commitments and know that “I’ll do that later” isn’t really an option. Furthermore, organized students are not “surprised” by a forgotten assignment and don’t have to deal with the stress of trying to pull everything together at the last minute.
Finally, organized college students are better able to balance their academic, social, and extracurricular commitments because they are clear about everything they have going on any given day or week.
Do organized students get better grades?
Organized students get better grades because they create to-do lists and start their assignments early to avoid last minute-stress. By being organized, college students are able to figure out if they need extra help with an assignment allowing them to seek out help during office hours or visit the tutoring center. They’re also able to access their notes and course materials quickly and efficiently so they can find what they need to study the material.
What are the benefits of being organized in college?
Staying organized in college is important for several reasons including the following:
- Improved Time Management: Being organized helps you keep track of your schedule, assignments, and deadlines, allowing you to effectively allocate your time and avoid last-minute cramming or missing important dates.
- Better Grades: Organization leads to improved focus, studying efficiency, and comprehension of material, leading to better grades and academic performance.
- Reduced Stress: A cluttered and disorganized environment can increase stress levels and negatively impact mental health. Staying organized helps reduce stress and promote a more relaxed and focused state of mind.
- Improved Planning Skills: Organizing your academic life helps develop essential planning and prioritization skills that will be valuable not only in college but also in your future professional and personal life.
- Better Preparation for Career: Employers often value employees who are organized, responsible, and capable of prioritizing tasks and meeting deadlines. A reputation for being organized and efficient can give you a competitive advantage in the job market.
Wrapping up with college organization tips
As you can see, how to stay organized in college is relatively simple. Once your establish your own college organization system and stay consistent with it, it becomes easier to effectively managing your time and the rest falls into place.
Keep in mind establishing new habits takes time, so be patient with yourself. And seriously, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you get stuck with anything organization related! Almost all colleges offer free tutoring services for students, book yourself an appointment and make use of that resource. A tutor would be more than happy to help you increase your organization skills bit by bit so you can reap the rewards in college and beyond.
Have you found any special tricks that have helped you with staying organized in college? Drop a comment below, we’d love to know!
Related:
- 17 Free College Printables That Will Turn You Into a Lean, Mean, Organizing Machine
- My 13 College Must-Haves for Surviving Everyday Classes
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How to Be Organized in College
Lesley Martin works with students privately as an Academic Success Coach and is the CEO of Class Tracker, a company she founded that creates academic planners for middle school and high schools and college students. Lesley has published two books: Where’s My Stuff: The Ultimate Teen Organizing Guide and Make the Grade: Everything you need to Study Better, Stress Less, and Succeed in School.