Ahh! Midterm time!

It’s midterm week and you can feel that “no sleep/study all night” vibe all over campus! As I make my way through this stressful time, I thought I’d share my organization strategies that keep me sane (and ensure that all my assignments are turned in on time).

First up is my “syllabus calendar.” At the beginning of each semester, I make an Excel spreadsheet and start combining all of those syllabi into one document. I have three columns: the class, when it’s due, and what exactly is due. Then I organize it by date so I know exactly what is due in my upcoming classes just by looking at the list, instead of perusing several 7-page syllabi and trying to remember it all on my own. As I complete things, I highlight them and move on! 🙂 This is probably the most useful thing I’ve come up with to keep organized in college.

The second thing I do is plan out when I want to study and get work done. My first year I did what lots of students do, where I would just wait until the night before it was due and stay up all night running off energy drinks to try and finish assignments on time. As I went on through the next semesters, trying to balance extra-curriculars and maintaining two jobs, that method just wasn’t cutting it. I like sleep! It’s still difficult for me to WANT to get things done, especially with the wonderful internet just sitting there waiting to distract me. Instead of planning huge homework sessions, I find small parts in my day where I can take some time and work on my syllabus list. Like this semester, I have a 50-minute break between some of my classes, so I use that to get things done. Or if a class gets out early/gets canceled one day, I use that time to be productive. By doing it in little 0ne-hour or shorter chunks of time, I don’t get burnt out (like I would in an all-night study session) and I can actually manage to get a TON more done!

Best of luck to everyone suffering through midterm exams, essays and projects like me. We can do it!