I tend to succeed more in anything I do and feel more put together when everything is organized. Staying organized also helps  eliminate any  unnecessary extra stress by making things easy to find, whether it be notes or items around the house. Here are some ideas and tips on how to help you stay organized.

Set a daily schedule for yourself.

Do not overwhelm yourself when doing this. Try to set a schedule that you know you can stick to, even on days where you don’t want to do anything. This is more beneficial than trying to do too much at once.

Keep a calendar and planner. 

Use the calendar to write short reminders and save the details that you need to know for your planner. It can also help to use certain colors to represent certain events when writing reminders. 

“I keep a calendar both my Outlook calendar and a book that I scribble all of my notes in too,” said Gail Jacky, director of the Huskie Academic Support Center.

Try to stay positive. 

I know that it sounds cliché, but when you think of things you have to do for chores and complain, it will feel like a chore. Instead, if it is schoolwork, think of how it will inform and benefit you later on when you need that knowledge. 

Work ahead whenever possible.

Whenever you have free time, start doing things ahead of time. This is for all my fellow procrastinators out there. Putting things off will just cause you to worry more later on. Instead of waiting until the due date gets closer, do it as soon as you can. This will end up giving you more free time in the future and will relieve stress. If you don’t have enough time to complete something, even just getting a head start on something will benefit you in the future. 

“For things I absolutely have to remember I set an alarm on my phone and it reminds me that hey, this is coming up,” Jacky said.

Make a meal plan.

Meal planning and prepping can save you a lot of time and stress. It will be one less thing you have to worry about when you have to do some work. Whether it be a salad in a jar or even just having ingredients already washed, cut and prepped, there are endless amounts of recipes for meal prepping and planning online to choose from.

Block out personal time.

Most importantly, when scheduling ahead, schedule time where you can just relax or do something you enjoy. Make sure you check in with your mental health and take care of yourself mentally and physically. Mental health is critical to staying organized, healthy and happy.