College Organization Tips

When it comes to school work…I’m lost as far as organization goes. Now that I’m starting at an online university, I need to figure out how to get my work organized and scheduled.

I’ve perused Pinterest, and there are so many links for college organization, binder organization, etc. I want to read it all! I don’t have the time though (well I could read it all, but then I don’t think anyone in my family would get fed.)

So, I’ve come up with 3 methods I think will help me through. Once I master these methods, I will find others.

1. SQ3R method of reading textbooks.

This method involves reading all headings, subheadings, bold words, and pictures to get the general idea of what will be read. Reading the questions at the end of the chapter helps gain a sense of what information should be pulled from the text. Once the questions are read, then comes reading the chapter, repeating what has been read then recheck to make sure questions have been answered correctly.

2. One task at a time

I will need to remind myself of this all the time. I always have a million things going on in my head and I tend to forget what I’m supposed to be doing at that moment in time. Multitasking really isn’t an efficient way of getting things done. Focusing on one thing at a time will help to get it done faster and with the least amount of errors.

3. Keep social media to a minimum

I admit it…I’m addicted to FB and Pinterest. I check them frequently and can easily lose HOURS of my time on them! I really need to limit my time on these sites when I’m studying…especially since I’m an online student!I hope that these tips can help you as well! Do you have any tips for me? What helps you stay on top of classwork…or anything else for that matter.

 

Top 5 favorite Pins

Each week, I will post my five favorite pins for different subjects. Sometimes I may do an entire post on the same subject. Since this is my first one, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite pins this week. Ones that I actually read! I have a habit of pinning and forgetting…even though I have a board titles “Look closer at this week” There are pins in this board that are months old! So, I’ve decided to share a few of my favorites with you this week. These pins really struck a chord in me and touched my life.

Marriage

I couldn’t have come across this pin at a more appropriate time in my marriage. This year is the year of transformation for me. One those things I’m going to be transforming is my attitude as a wife. I’m rather outspoken and sometimes don’t think about what I’m saying before it is already too late. One of my goals is to be more intentional in what I say. One of those ways is to praise my husband more, instead of nagging him. I need to build my husband, not tear him down.

Mothering

I love this challenge! I do it every month. It reminds me to be intentional with my children. I am not only here to teach, correct and discipline them. I am here to show them grace and love, along with teaching them how to show grace and love to others as well.

Children

I have yet to make this chore chart, but I LOVE the idea behind it. I’m even thinking of making one for myself! I like that it is interactive and you can really see what you have already done! It is great for all ages preschool to {in my case} adult!

Crafting and Faith in one!

Not only is this pretty, it is functional and interactive! If I’m going to craft something, it needs to be interactive. I really love this Prayer Pail and think it is a wonderful way to get the whole family involved as well. I have my own personal prayer journal that are prayers for other people, but that seems more private than this Prayer Pail. Leave it out in the open and ANYONE in the household can pick a stick and pray for that person/event/group/etc. right then. A time can be set where the family gathers around and prays over each prayer request.

Decorating Home

I am absolutely in love with this little girl’s bedroom! Her mommy did a fabulous job. I’d love to use this as inspiration for my daughter’s room someday when she has her own room. Make sure you check out all the pictures!

{the above 5 pictures in this post are not mine, please follow the links to go to their original blog posts.}

Introducing my (faux) Filo

I am not a very organized person. I struggle with staying on a schedule. I’m great at writing one out …but follow through…horrible! This year I have made a choice to be more intentional with my days. I’m hoping that this day planner will help me.

I am currently using a DayRunnner that I purchased at Staples. I really wanted a Filofax but I just couldn’t bring myself to spend that much on something that isn’t habit for me yet. Maybe down the road after I use it for a while first.

Here she is…funny thing is, i actually call it my FauxFilo when I’m referring to looking at it IRL.

When I open it up I have my color coding pens, some sticky notes, note paper and pictures of my children. ❤

The DayRunner came with a calendar system, but I didn’t really like the colors.

I’m using the 2013 Planner by Crystal Wilkerson

First section is my calendar (3 months worth). I have monthly calendars that fold out. Weekly 2=page calendar and a calendar specifically for homework.

I keep the rest of the months in the back of my planner.

I use these pretty stickers to reward myself for doing everything I planned that day.

Next up is my Cleaning section (the planner I used had other sections, but I needed names that made sense to me, so I made my own tabs.) I made a Daily Routine, Daily cleaning, and weekly cleaning checklists. These fold out…the daily checklists have 4 weeks, the weekly checklist has 13 weeks.

The Daily Deep Clean was taken from the 2013 Planner, I just retyped it and added it to my checklist I made.

Next section is Health. To the left I have my goal weights (not shown…) and on the right I have my workout schedule. That sheet covering my goal weights is a sheet of stickers for rewards.

This is my journal section. I love these 30-day challenge pages! My first goal is to do two full loads of laundry to try to keep on top of the laundry.

This is my God section. I keep the current month and next month’s copies of In Touch magazine.

So, there it is. So far it seems to be working for me! I’m praying that this will be an instrumental tool in re-training myself to be an intentional person!

Some other sections that aren’t shown (because they aren’t developed yet) are Design and Celebrate. The design will be Pinterest printouts that I plan on putting into motion. Celebrate has a protective envelope with greeting cards; also, a list of birthdays.

Do you have a planner? How long have you used a planner? I’d love to see it!

Agape,