5 Tips for Better Scheduling

By Alex Bolten

It’s the middle of winter and it’s also the time when a lot of people have exams. During this miserable and busy time of year, it can be easy to lose focus on your career path and get bogged down with other things, such as schoolwork.

It’s important to make sure that you are keeping your schedule updated and that you know when things are due. It’s easy to get behind and let things pile up. Not only does this decrease your productivity and focus, but it can also cause your stress to increase.

Here are some easy and simple steps to making sure you’re organized. By keeping track of your schedule and knowing your deadlines, you’ll not only reduce your stress, but you’ll also not have things pile up, and will therefore be able to give more focus to your career path.

1.              Calendars: Use the calendar in your phone or purchase a calendar to hang on your wall. Write down when assignments are due and when you have meetings scheduled. Make sure you mark your calendar immediately when you know of a deadline/date so that you can’t miss it.

2.              Mortar Board: You can purchase a mortar board (large or small) from one of the bookstores. Use this for a “calendar on-the-go” that you can write in. The larger editions have hour-by-hour sections for each day for easier scheduling.

3.              Notes: Write yourself notes for important deadlines and stick them in areas that are easily visible. Use different colored paper to differentiate between exams, meetings, etc.

4.              Phone reminders: If you have a smart phone, send yourself reminders a few days in advance of deadlines. These notifications should be received an ample amount of time before your meeting/deadline so as to give you time to prepare.

5.              Lists: Use a list for a physical representation of everything you have to do. This works best in a smaller format-typically if you have a big workload one day you should use a list to systematically plan out when you’ll get everything accomplished.

Follow these steps and you’ll be on your way to a more organized academic life and better-focused career path. It’s easy to get bogged down when it’s colder and the beginning part of the year. If you follow these steps, that won’t happen, and you’ll be further along your career path.