Videos: Better Organization & Time Management

CollegeXpress student vlogger, Film student, and daily personal vlogger—if anyone knows how to organize and manage their time, it’s Jordan-Paige. It’s not easy to stay on top of everything in college, but it can be done.

Watch her video below to hear how she deals with planning out her academic assignments every day and accomplishing various tasks. You'll also find some time management tips just for high schoolers from student vlogger Justin below. Enjoy and happy organizing!

Create a to-do list and keep an agenda

Make to-do lists for your assignment! Break down big projects into small tasks, and it will make managing your time a lot easier. Bring a notebook to class and jot down things you need to remember or want to get done that day. You might also want to keep a separate planner to write down your assignments for class over the long term. This will help you organize your thoughts and prioritize homework and daily life.

Don’t procrastinate

When you’re given an assignment, you should start it that same day if you have free time. If you can do it now, do it; that way it will be done and out of the way. This will also give you more free time to do what you want to do and finish other assignments. You may think you’ll have time in the future to do the assignment, but what if something comes up and you can’t? You don’t want to risk it until the last minute.

Keep the balance

Use your free time for work and rest. If you have a few hours to kill, split your time. Try getting that assignment done before giving yourself time to relax. There’s no harm in starting early; when you feel like you can’t work anymore, take a break. Watch an episode of Netflix, take a nap, or hang out with friends. Then come back to the assignment with a fresh perspective.

Write down assignments and due dates

Don’t assume you’ll remember every assignment—you don’t want to risk forgetting that something was due. Write down the assignment and put the date next to it so you can lay out what is due and when. Make sure to organize and prioritize by the closest due date so you're focusing on those assignments first.

Take a few minutes to get organized

Before starting your work, take 10–30 minutes to organize yourself and your assignments. You don’t want to be scrambling to find your notes. Organizing under stress is no organization at all. Get comfortable, find all your materials, then start studying. It doesn’t have to be the “typical” organized; if it’s organized for you and you can find all your classwork and resources, that’s what is important.

Use a binder or file folder

Separate your documents like your notes, assignments, handouts, and more with something like a file folder or a binder. This will make it easier to find what you’re looking for and keep everything where it’s supposed to be. This will also ensure your backpack or school bag isn't a mess too, and you'll be ready to hand in those assignments come class time.

Stick with it and avoid distractions

Once you take a look at what you need to do and have prioritized your tasks, start working and stick with it! It's so easy to get distracted by your phone and the endless scrolling social media provides. If you're worried about your phone or any other devices drawing your attention away, put them somewhere else. Turn on do not disturb or power them down and put them in another room where you won't even see it to be tempted by it.

Make time for yourself

If you're burnt out and super stressed, you won't be doing your best work, so making time for yourself is essential. You know the true difference of when you want a break vs. when you need a break. So if you need it, like we said before, take a break. The same goes for if you're just tired! You shouldn't be sacrificing your sleep for more work because good sleep is a crucial element to doing your best.

More time management tips for high school students

It is possible to get all your work done and maintain an awesome social life in high school. Justin knows from experience and is here to share his top four time management tips. Check out his video below!

Start using an agenda

If you write things down, you will never miss a due date or let a big test sneak up on you. Writing out your task list is the easiest way to remember everything you have to do and when you have to do it, so pick up an agenda or planner you can write everything in to keep it all in one place. It doesn’t have to be fancy, so long as it's useable!

Use your free time in school to catch up on schoolwork

If you have a sub in a class, a study hall, or other free time, use it as a work period! The more you do in school, the less you’ll have to do at home and the more time you can spend relaxing, leading to less overall stress. Free time or study hall is also useful if you need help from a teacher or need to see a tutor.

Be proactive and do your homework first

Try to prioritize your homework as soon as you get home from school. Procrastination is the killer! If you get into a routine of being lazy when you get home, it’ll be hard to break and leave you with late nights pouring over textbooks. Make sure you prioritize homework so you can have more time to do the things you love!

Use CollegeXpress

Whether you're an underclassman just thinking about college or a senior getting ready to apply, you’ll save a lot of time by using CollegeXpress to conduct your search and learn about the admission process. You can search for colleges and find scholarships to apply for, all while familiarizing yourself with what college will be like when you get there!

Time management is all about being a little more mindful and intentional with your planning. Keeping a calendar, maximizing your spare time, and avoiding procrastination are all major hallmarks of a well-balanced schedule that won't leave you stressed the whole school year.

Being more organized will help, but it's important to keep a good school-life balance and not let yourself get stressed about all your tasks. Prioritize good sleep, take care of yourself, and make sure you get your work done (and don’t be afraid to start and finish it early!). Figure out what you need to do, create a schedule, stick with it, and don’t let yourself get distracted. Good luck!

You're going to have a lot of extra time on your hands after following all these tips. Use it wisely by finding scholarships on CollegeXpress and lessen the financial load of college!

Videos: How to Improve Your Organization and Time Management Skills