How to Get Organized for the New Semester

The fall semester is over, and it’s time to start preparing for the spring! No matter how you did last semester, you have a chance for a new start. There are always ways to improve, and following these organization tips can help you be even better in the new semester.

1. Invest in a Planner! If you have spent semester after semester forgetting assignments and losing points over simple things, the time has come to invest in a high quality planner. If you find yourself giving up on planner after a few months, try getting something you really love.
   Recommended: How to Get Organized with the LYTE Planner & How to Organize with Erin Condren Planner
2. Fill out your planner. Use your new planner and start filling in due dates for the semester. Look on blackboard and pull up any syllabus that are available. Fill in as much as you can before the semester even starts. Then, continue throughout the semester as things come up. For the first two weeks, put in your classes as well. By putting in the times and locations you can be sure not to miss any classes or go to the wrong place!
   Recommended: How to Use a Syllabus & How I Organize my Planner
3. Check out Pinterest. Along with many others, pinterest is one of my favorite places to find all kinds of organization tips and advice. You can find many of the posts I’ve shared in this post, as well as so many more. I recommend checking out my group pinterest board which is all about organization and productivity, including my blog posts from many awesome college bloggers!
4. Use printables. There are all kinds of printables out there to help you organize your life in college. You can make an organization binder and put in all kinds of different printables. For example, a password sheet, rental textbooks info, assignment calendars, and more! You can check out my friends printables in her first blog post here, and if you want even more printables you can find a collection of them here!
5. Use an Organization App! If you prefer to keep your organization on your computer, there are all kinds of apps out there to help you organize your life. There are calendar apps, to-do lists, and other types of organizational tools! In my opinion, you should try a bunch and figure out which one works best for you. Since I don’t organize in this way, I’m sharing this blog post for more exact details about how to use and organization app called trello and how it can help!
6. Buy Your Textbooks. There’s nothing worse than starting classes and having to rush around and get textbooks when the prof assigns homework for that night. By doing it ahead of time, you can look for better deals, rather than having to spend hundreds at the university bookstore. Recommended: Ultimate Guide to Buying Textbooks
7. Buy Your School Supplies! Figure out what you are going to need for each class and get everything you need. Last semester I took over a month to get all the school supplies I needed, which meant I was so much more disorganized and I felt like everything was a mess.
8. Organize your Computer! Something I always do is make a folder in my computer for the semester. Then within that semester I make a folder for each class. Download your syllabus for each class and put that in the folder. As the semester goes on, you can make sub folders for specific types of assignment, whatever works best for you. It will be really helpful to have everything saved and easy to find when you are neck deep in finals.

Well there you have it! These are my tried and true tips for preparing for a new semester, but if you’re looking for more, you can check out this super comprehensive post with even more tips about getting organized for the semester or this post with more details on how to organize! Use this precious break to calm down, relax, and practice self-care. However, don’t forget to prepare for the semester by spending a few hours following these tips!