Every semester college students have to find a balance between school, work, extracurricular activities, and a social life. It’s hard to juggle being a college student and keeping a cool head on your shoulders, which is why NAU ITS is here to help you. We came up with the top 5 tips to help students stay organized, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
- Find a sleep schedule that works for you.
- Most of the time, college students don’t have a consistent 9AM-5PM schedule, especially because there are classes that end at 8PM. Other students may have classes early in the morning but then have to work in the afternoon. With such a packed schedule there’s hardly any time to study, let alone sleep. However, once a sleep schedule is established it’ll give you enough energy for your day. On average 8 hours of sleep is recommended, but if you find yourself not being able to get enough sleep, then schedule time for short naps to ensure that you’re not sleep deprived and exhausted.
2. Have a balanced diet
- Figuring out what to cook and finding time to eat can be tricky for college students. Eating 3 meals a day is recommended to give you energy and limit hunger. Many people fall victim to skipping breakfast, which then can lead to feeling groggy or resorting to appetite suppressants like caffeine to start their day.
- To save time and money meal prepping is encouraged. Pinterest has a lot of money-saving recipes for different diets such as medieterinan, vegan, pescitarian, and so on.
3. Create a study plan
- Once you’ve taken care of your body by sleeping and eating well now you can tackle school. To limit feeling overwhelmed by schoolwork, make a list of everything you need to finish. Every month write down all of your assignments and exams in an agenda. Deadlines and the syllabus may change and that’s why keeping track of them every month may limit confusion.
- On very busy days write down everything you have to do and schedule it. For example: Breakfast 8AM-8:30AM, Class #1 9AM-9:45AM, Class #2 at 10AM-11:10AM, Lunch from 11:10–12PM, Study for test 12PM-2PM, 2PM-2:15PM brain break, 2:15- 2:30 get ready for work, and so on. This will help you visualize all the things that you need to get done in one day and help you set a realistic timeline in order to prevent burnout and procrastination.
4. Declutter
- Get rid of clothes and items that take up valuable space. We are living in an era where we spend the majority of our time in our home offices/ bedrooms/ living rooms. Getting rid of clutter will help minimize distractions and improve efficiency.
5. Remember that all of this is temporary
- Don’t forget that the stress that comes with school is only temporary. Ensure that you take care of your mental health to succeed in school and all aspects of your life.
