Admit, we all say we are going to start every new semester prepared and on top of everything but this hardly happens. We find ourselves caught in a bunch of organization systems that we end up not using, we buy a bunch of notebooks and highlighters that end up in your drawer.
In case you want to avoid this as much as I want, here are some tips from a 5th-year dental student that is almost having her life together at least when it comes to university.
1. DECIDED ON ONE OR TWO ORGANIZATION METHODS
Online calendars, paper calendars, bullet journals, to-do notebooks, plain paper – there are a lot of ways to keep track of your days but the most important things I learned over these 5 years of university is that you should do what truly works for you.
If you are the type of person that finds it easier to write a quick task on your phone that gets your bullet journal out then, planning on your phone might be the best for you. If you like to see everything written down, then grab a notebook and start planning.
Planning or writing down your task should not feel like a burden, so make sure you figure out what’s best for you because this should help you go through your day and not make it harder.
I like to combine my phone and my bullet journal for a perfect mix. If I am at home, then I use my bullet journal to write down everything I need to do on a certain day, as well as classes, homework, projects, or future tests/exams. When I am on the go, I always use my phone to add new events to my calendar, set reminders, or write a quick note in my notes app.
If you want to see how I’ve set up my bullet journal for this year you can check this post.
2. PUT ALL YOUR CLASSES IN YOUR CALENDAR
I have started doing this since the beginning of my first year. At the start of every new semester, I open my calendar app and start putting all of the classes down, with the hour for each other, the duration, the place, and an alarm 1 hour before the class. I have a separate color for Classes in my calendar so it helps me see when I have to be at uni (or at home for online classes). I also made them repeat for as long as the semester last so I won’t have to worry later about them.
3. DECIDED HOW YOU WANT TO TAKE NOTES
I have a combined system of taking digital notes and also some on paper. For the classes where I have to learn a whole book for the exam, I will take short notes on paper for the big chapters, and for the smaller chapters of for the ones that I have a hard time learning I will take my notes on my iPad and print them later.
Taking digital notes helped me a lot especially when I needed drawings to understand better or different pictures. Also, I like the fact that I do not feel the pressure to not mess up when writing on an iPad, as I can easily erase or move the text.
If you want to read more about what apps I use for digital notetaking you can check out this post.
4. BUY AND STICK TO THE SAME HIGHLIGHTERS AND PENS
Ok, so I understand the impossible desire to buy every pen or highlighter that looks good or seems to have a pretty color but that’s how I ended up having 2 boxes full of them. A lot, I know.
To avoid wasting your money and space decided on a few you like. Try them in shops or just get a single one to try at home. After a few years of buying without thinking, I’ve learned to know my favorites. So, for highlighting my notes I use the Tombow dual brush pens in different colors, Zebra midliner brush or the old trusty Stabilo highlighters.
When it comes to writing my notes, I simply buy cheap blue or black pens and I always make sure to buy a smaller pack just in case I don’t like how they are writing.
5. BUY YOUR BOOKS OR GET YOUR COURSES AHEAD OF TIMES
So this might not seem that important but it really is. You don’t want to stressed about printing all your courses and buying all your books before an exam. If your professor gives you all the courses ahead, make sure you download/print them at the start of the semester, so you can easily take quick notes on them, highlight important parts, and so on.
PIN ME FOR LATER
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