How to Organize Your Desk

An organized desk is the key to success. When you are doing your work  there should be a clear space with easy access to your tools. I'm going to show you how I organize my work space and how it helps me stay focused.

Let's start with the drawers. My desk came with three drawers, which worked out perfect for me.  In my first drawer I keep things that I use most often; index cards- because it's a never ending process, hole puncher- as soon as I get back from classes I'll unload my backpack and hole bunch anything that goes in my binder, stapler- this one doesn't really need explaining, calculator- I keep my main calculator in my backpack so I like to have a simple small one in reach incase I need it for some quick math, my stress guy- I keep him near by for squeezing when my work stresses me out too much, headphones- I have a roommate so I keep headphones in my drawer for when I need to watch videos, clips- I use them to clip small stacks of note cards together or several pieces of paper i don't want to staple.

In my second drawer I keep all my extra supplies. Most of the time, if you're like me, you run out of supplies quickly. To prevent this tragedy I get extras and keep them in this drawer for close reach.

Lastly I have my third drawer which is significantly wider and deeper than the rest of my drawers. This is where I keep all my textbooks, lab manuals, and notebooks. I also have an organizer where I keep copies of essays, graded papers, returned papers, study guides and my receipts.














Next is the heart of the desk. Where you actually work. As you can see in the first picture on the left I keep the hours of my important places; Starbucks, the gym, and the library. When I'm trying to plan out my day I don't want to be looking around searching for times in my planners or looking things up online. This can be very distracting and quickly throw you off task. If you keep your times in plain view all you will have to do is glance up.
      In the photo on the top right you can see that I have papers with highlighter marked on them. What I have done here is combined the dates on all of my syllabi and made a spread sheet. (click here to find out how)
  I keep it tacked to my desk and highlight the dates as they pass. This process insures that I never miss a due date or have anything sneak up on me. The other papers on here are the open lab schedule, extra credit list, and my grades. It's important to keep up with your grades in collage because some teachers don't post them until progress report/ report card time.
    The photo on the bottom left is my caddy where I keep the important stuff; pens, pencils, highlighters, tape, glue, whiteout, rubber bands, tacks, a and paperclips.
  The bottom right are fancy paperclips that I found at Walmart. They aren't a necessity, however, they are very cute compared to regular paperclips. You can also put them in your books and lab manuals to mark pages because they stick out like tabs. You can even write on them!!











On the shelf of my desk I keep my vitamins, prescriptions, and Dottera Oils. I keep them on my desk because this is a spot I am literally at everyday and I keep them in plain view that way I can see them and remember to take them. I usually have an alarm that reminds me to take them in the morning when I wake up but sometimes I still forget.











  On the other half of the shelf I keep my binders and the notebooks I take to class. This helps me make sure I see them when I'm packing my bag so I can remember to take them with me.

Lastly is the top of my desk. In this picture I have my clipboard, blog midori, and my flash card box.

 I also have a paper organizer where I file papers to deal with later on, extra lined paper, and blank, white paper.

Syllabi Spread Sheet

 In this post I am going to show you how to take all your syllabi together and create ONE set of papers with all your due dates, teacher's office hours, and teacher emails.

Once you have all your syllabi you need to set aside about 30 mins to get this done (may be longer or quicker depending on how fast of a typer you are).

The first thing you want to do is start writing down all the dates that you see.

Second, pick a color for each class because we are going to color coordinate the classes. Once you picked out the colors take the syllabus for your first class and start filling in the dates with the corresponding color. Do this for the rest of your classes using your chosen colors. Also, make sure you have left space between the dates that way it is easier to see and the dates won't run together.

Now the spread sheet I have created is semesterly. If you wanted you could separate the dates by month or even weekly. This was my first time using a spreadsheet so I did mine semesterly. Next semester I am going to divide mine up weekly because I feel like it will be more suitable for me. 

Once you have all the dates filled in, look it over one more time to make sure you didn't miss anything. Once you have done this go to the very last page and make an office hours/email section. Continue using the class's corresponding colors as you type out each of the dates/hours and room numbers. Make sure you also include your professor's names.

I feel that this is a very convenient system because I'm not looking through binders to find my syllabus and then flipping through pages to find emails and due dates. This systems allows me to keep all my class information in one place for quick and easy access and I cross of the dates as they go by. Trust me when I say you want to do anything you can to make things easy in collage. 

I keep my spreadsheet tacked on my desk and my roommate (I made on for her) keeps hers in the front of her binder in a clear insert. 

If you guys have any methods or ideas you use for organizing your classes please comment below! I love trying you new ideas!

How to Study for Your Exam

          Collage is a whole other domain for the incoming freshman. Here, teachers no longer scold you for not doing homework or remind you of due dates. When it comes to exams you are presented A LOT of information in a short amount of time and are expected to know it for your exam. If you are lucky you may get the rare teacher that gives you study guides and have a review lecture in class, but 90% if the time that's not the case.

1. Time Management. 

    I know, I know we have all heard this plenty of times, either from our teachers in high school or our parents, and kind of brushed it over our shoulder. In collage, shit gets real. If you don't make a schedule and manage your time wisely you are screwed. In high school teachers were a little more considerate of the fact that you have other classes and you probably had no more than two tests in one day.... in collage teachers don't have anyway of knowing your other class schedules because there are literally hundreds of classes. Once they schedule a test the date doesn't move and you may find yourself in my situation and have a test in every class all in one day. 

    My advice to you is to take out your planner (which every student should have) or a piece of paper and write down times. Write down what day and the time frame your goals are for that particular study session. You don't have to study for several hours at once either. You can say from 3-4 you're going to study and then again from 9-10 before you go to bed. Writing down times becomes even more important when you have more than one test and will really help you stay on track. 

2. Prioritize.

  You need to prioritize the level of importance each class is. If you have a test tomorrow in Anatomy and then have a test in Psychology three days later, don't spend most of your time that day studying for the psychology test because that won't do you any good in anatomy. If you have two tests in the same day, the night before the tests study for the later test during the day and save the night for the test you have first. This way when you go to take your first test the information you studied is the most fresh. 

3. Sleep.

   Sleep is the most important step in studying. You can stay up until 3 a.m. studying for your 8 a.m. test, but if you aren't well rested your brain won't be able to focus or retain information. You will be better off going to bed at 9 and then waking up at 5 or 6 to study. At least this way you will be well rested and more likely to retain what you are studying. 

4. Don't Cram.

   We've all been there. Its an hour before your test and you are freaking out trying to retain as much information as you can. Don't. You will get very overwhelmed and may get your information all mixed up. This goes back to time management and making sure you have planned an adequate enough time to study and fully understand the information. 

5.  Find a Strategy. 

    Unless you have a photographic memory, simply reading your notes isn't enough to study. Try to find a method that you like and works for you. It doesn't have to be just one either. In fact, the more methods you use the better off you will be. I love flash cards and they work the best for me but they can be very time consuming. In order to avoid spending more time making the flash cards than actually studying them, I make them from lecture to lecture. At night, or whenever I have some free time, I'll look over my notes and make flash cards for that day. This way, when it gets to the week of the test you already have most of the information you need on the cards and can be studying. Also, your stack of flash cards can get pretty big..scary big. In order to avoid the overwhelming feeling of the stack try to study your flashcards you make at the end of every week so you aren't stuck trying to learn a stack of flash cards in a short amount of time. 

6.  Read your Textbook.

    In classes like Anatomy and Physiology , your textbook can be a wonderful thing. Most of the information your teachers give you come from your textbook and, as crazy as it sounds, the textbook usually makes things a little more easy to understand. Make sure you take notes as you read also. You don't have to write down everything you read word for word but just make sure you get the main ideas down and anything else you feel is important. I take my reading notes in a journal that way I can carry it around with me in my bag or purse and look it over whenever I have some down time. Draw pictures too!!

7. Study in a Variety of settings.

    Last semester my Biology teacher told me that it has been proven that if you study in more than one place you are more likely to remember what you are studying. If it's a pretty day, try and go study at the park or in a field. If noise doesn't bother you try going to Starbucks. My teacher also told me that your brain recognizes sent and sounds that can help trigger memory. This being said it would probably be a smart idea, if it's possible, would be to study in the building or room of your test.

8. Take Breaks

   Try to take an hour break between study sessions. Your brain, just like your body, gets tired and needs a break. You can't study for 4 hours straight and expect your brain to retain the last 2 hours. Study for two hours and then for the next hour do something relaxing, like drawing or watching  tv, and then go back to studying.

9. Use the Buddy System.

   Lets face it. We all have subjects we find absolutely boring and find ourselves getting distracted when studying. This is one of those times when friends are actually useful. If you use each other to make studying more fun it will be easier to learn the information. You can turn it into a game or a contest and if there are enough people in your study group you can make it into a mini jeopardy. 

10. Be Confident.

  When it comes to the actual test all you can really do is just be confident. Remind yourself that you studied your ass off for this test and that you have been ready for it all week. If you get stumped on a question try not to let it discourage you because its just one question out of the 50 or more.

There are plenty of other ways to successfully study for your exams , but these are the 10 that my peers and I have found successful. For most freshman collage is a huge wake up call and unfortunately my first semester caught me off guard. However after using these steps I have eased in and now find myself at a 4.0 GPA and owning collage!