Organization and time management are two of the most essential skills for any incoming college student. With just a few tweaks to his or her habits, even the worst procrastinator can become an adequately performing student within the first few weeks of school – anyone can do it!

Write everything down

Don’t even wait. The instant you hear or see a due date for anything — an exam, homework, or even a meeting time outside of class — write it down in some sort of planner or program it into your phone or computer’s calendar. If you are able to compile all of your obligations into one planner, there’s no way you can overlook anything.

The key point here is to start writing things down when you hear about them, even if that’s in the middle of class. I’ve spent entire lectures writing down dates into my planner from syllabi — and it really helps. When I write down all the homework due dates, I never miss an assignment.

It’s a simple way to keep your grade up in a class — homework is easy.

Refer to your schedule

Always remember to check back to your planner to see what date things are due. This will give you an early sense of what nights will tend to be your most difficult. When work, classes, homework, projects and exams start to come together toward the end of the semester, things can get hectic. Some nights are late, but planning to finish homework or study early can help alleviate your pressure on those particularly difficult nights.

Of course, sometimes it is good to take a mini break in the middle of the week if you have nothing due the next day. That’s more of a guilty pleasure, though.

Looking ahead in the week can help prevent nights spent pulling out your hair until 5 in the morning with class at 8.  (Taking a nap can be disastrous — I’d stay up.) 

Start studying for exams before you think you need to

Monday exams are a blessing and a curse. When you have the entire weekend to study, will you use your time wisely?

It’s doubtful. There’s a lot of great stuff happening on the weekend and I know that by that point, I am burnt out; it’s time to lie in bed watching Netflix all day.

It’s OK to not go out some Fridays — crack open your books and finish off the week with a homework or study session. If that’s not how your schedule works best, figure something else out. Everyone (hopefully) has a few days in the week where they don’t have obligations the following day.

It’s nice to spend a little time relaxing and finishing up the weekend’s assignments so you don’t have to worry about them Sunday night.

Finish homework after classes

Studying before and/or after class is a great way to reinforce what you’ve learned in that class, according to Carolyn Hopper, a learning strategies coordinator in developmental studies at Middle Tennessee State University. She writes in her book “Practicing College Learning Strategies” to avoid scheduling back-to-back classes to avoid missing the best times to study. She writes that students should study in the daytime, as students are more productive then.  

Finishing homework after class is great, too — the subject is still in your mind, and after you finish the assignment, you won’t have to worry about it that evening — something you’ll thank yourself for later.

Party responsibly

You know, you really don’t have to go out every Friday and Saturday. It’s OK. This isn’t high school; we’re all adults and we can all make our own decisions. That’s the thing about college — everyone is on different schedules. Some people’s schedules accommodate a weekend Wednesday through Friday and obligations consume their lives on the weekends. It’s important to remember that your schedule falls the way it does because it’s yours — tread lightly when accommodating others, and make the most of nights where you don’t have class in the morning.

Tyler is a sophomore in Media. He can be reached at [email protected].