Dear Dad and College Cousin,
How do I stay organized in my classes?
I am going to be completely honest. Staying organized in anything, let alone life and a full-time course load of college courses is hard. Here are the things that I remind myself of when I am working through things and the way that I organize myself and my own classwork.
First of all, accept that sometimes you are going to be a hot mess. Life is hard and most of the time things are not going to be or feel perfect. Also recognize that anything worth doing is worth doing halfway. You can always finish something later. A 50% will always be better than a 0%.
Something that’s important to my personal organization was finding a calendar and a way to keep track of my tasks that made sense for my brain. Whether that’s paper, digital, or a combination of the two. For me, this is a constantly adjusted Google/Outlook Calendar on my phone, and a daily to-do list sticky note on my laptop.
Ask for help. Seriously. It’s not embarrassing, just ask. I promise whether it’s a professor, friend, classmate, or someone from the dozens of places that offer support on campus, there is someone who can and will help you.
Finally, I leave you with what I think is genuinely the most important of them all.
Take breaks when you need them, so you don’t overwork yourself.
Burnout is a real thing, and it’s really hard to come back from. Speaking from personal experience, learning to recognize when you are nearing the breaking point is important. I always think of the time that my therapist told me I was “feeling crisp.”
I had been overworking myself, and instead of taking care of myself I kept pushing myself further when I needed to take a break to be able to do good work like I was trying to. But remember even when you’re busy, take a breath and step away from what you have to do to take care of yourself.
Just remember that no matter what happens, your priorities and to-dos will still be there tomorrow, and that your rest and personal sanity are more important than anything.
Good luck with your classes (you’ve got it, I promise),
Your Cool College Cousin