Learn to destress with organization: My tips for managing coursework

Part of staying stress free in college is knowing where everything you need for class is located.

Half the battle in college is knowing where all of the instructions for your assignments are, along with the assignments themselves.

For students who have flash drives, they can get lost under a mound of clothes, too. No one knows how, but it happens.

A way to stay organized, and destress, is to invest in the lovely supplies found in the office section.

Different folders for different classes help a lot because papers within binders tend to get ripped easily, unless you invest in sheet protectors.

When purchasing said folders, it’s important to consider folders of different colors, rather than buying multiple folders of the same color.

With organization there’s less chance of panicking over the loss of an assignment when the Wi-Fi isn’t working and the only available copy is a hard one.

The difference between a backpack and a folder is that when papers are stuffed inside a backpack they’re rarely ever seen again. With a backpack, it’s easy to forget when a paper’s been thrown in there when a heavy schedule is put in the mix.

With a folder, it’s always at the top of the inside of the backpack and the papers are safely tucked inside and therefore impossible to lose.

A tip for students who are in a hurry is to stack the books and folders for Monday in a pile on a bookshelf. Then do the same for Tuesday through Friday and label each stack for each day of the week.

This way it’s easier to keep track of what classes you have that day and eventually be able to recall what assignments are coming up for each class.

Distractions also add to stress for students, as they’re often sources of procrastination.

One tip is to hide anything that’s a temptation until the homework or studying is finished.

While easier said than done, it’s a lot simpler to concentrate once the iPhone, tablets and video games are stuffed in a drawer.

Another tip is to get rid of what’s no longer needed, like books or graded papers. More often than not, all they’re going to do is take up space.

Learning how to get and stay organized allows for a less stressful college experience.