Keeping Organized

by April Contreras

During my first semester at UNLV, I found myself drowning in coursework. I never had any difficulty managing my schedule in high school, so my inability to keep up in college obliterated my scholarly self-esteem. Any joy that I felt in scribbling out an assignment on my daily checklist was masked by the weight of jotting down another task. My checklist became a ferocious hydra, rearing two more assignments every time I conquered one. I always felt as if I was never getting anything done, and that frustration inspired me to rethink the way I organize my academic career.

The most grueling part of my journey towards reorganization was finding a system that I was willing to trust. During high school, I had grown comfortable jotting down notes about projects and exams on scraps of paper. I’d refer to them when I wanted reminders about what I needed to accomplish and throw them away at the end of the school week. Two weeks into my first year of college, however, I realized that this system merely led to a mess of papers. As the year progressed, I occasionally found myself rushing to finish assignments that I had overlooked. I knew that I needed to make a change, but committing to a new organization system was more difficult than I anticipated.

In an effort to find a method that had the right fit, I spent an extraordinary amount of time analyzing the pros and cons of various personal planners. There were so many choices to pick from! Some planners are formatted like pages of lists, while others have weekly and monthly calendars. When I found a planner that I thought I’d like, I would purchase it, only to be disgruntled within a few days when I discovered a problem that I hadn’t thought about beforehand. There would either be too little space to document my entire schedule, or there would be so much empty space that I felt discouraged for not filling it in. Sometimes, I just grew tired of the way the actual planner would feel in my hands, so I would go pick out another. Finding a planner that I was excited to use was definitely an extensive trial and error process.

Once I found a planner that I was pleased with, I made an effort to use it every day. I established a system of noting every due date from my courses’ syllabi in yellow highlighter. This made certain dates easily distinguishable from other tasks. When I completed an assignment, I placed a checkmark beside it, so that I could refer back to the assignment if need be. If I was unable to complete all of a particular day’s tasks, I would list them as a priority for the following days. These small changes helped prevent procrastination and gave me more of a sense of control over my academic career. Keeping up with my assignments boosted my confidence and helped me remain motivated.

While many people use physical planners to lay out their schedule, just as many prefer to organize themselves on their phones – or some other electronic device, like a tablet. I have experimented with electronic calendars, and found that I like using my phone as a companion to my physical planner. I have grown incredibly fond of the Google Calendar App – which is available for iPhone and Android users. It is especially helpful during a busy day or week. I like to document all of my classes, appointments, and meeting times in Google Calendar, and have the app notify me ten minutes before my scheduled activity. This way, I am constantly reminded of what I have to do next. With this system, I am able to use my physical planner for more detailed entries (like assignments and their requirements) and my phone as a means of motivating me throughout the day.

Sometimes, finding a way to remain organized and focused on your goals is difficult and even frustrating. However, finding a system that you trust and enjoy is a learning process that may take you farther than you would think.

April Contreras is a junior at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in neuroscience, and has been a member of the Interactive Measurement Group since Spring 2016. She plans to go to graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialization in neuropsychological testing. Her research interests include neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, as well as their effects on temperament and personality.