On Staying Organized

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One of my worst features is probably the fact that I am quite prone to procrastination and allowing things to slip my mind. This ugly feature came out in full force as I was studying for my anthropology exam this week. I was looking through my binder, found my psychology syllabus and discovered that my first psych exam is this Thursday! Whaaaat?! So naturally I threw anthropology aside to get in one chapter of psych reading. At 10:30 PM I realized that I had yet to complete all of my online math homework which was due in and hour and a half! That was when I went into full panic mode and maybe almost cried. It is just too early in the semester to be having episodes like last night.

I have made a vow to utilize all of my organization practices and not slack off! This is what I typically do: I have a little notebook that I record all my homework assignments and exam dates that I keep in my bag at all times. Then I have my calendar overload. What do I mean? I have my calendar on my phone which is linked to my calendar on my laptop so I get alerts on both devices. I also have my big desk calendar which is color coded. No more last minute, panicked working!

<3 Ashley

How do you stay on top of things? Have you ever gotten so far behind?

Spring Cleaning

I would be lying if I told you that my spring break was all laziness, hanging out with friends, and waking up at the crack of noon. I have actually devoted this week to performing some major spring cleaning on my room! Before I had gotten back, my dad rearranged the furniture in my room and pulled out a bunch of bags of junk from underneath my bed. Luckily, I have finished going through these - most of it was indeed garbage. Now I am on to giving the rest of my room a refreshing clean. My room feels small enough without all of the clutter. My goal for this week is to get rid of so much and really open up the space a bit. Also, I need to make sure that I have logical places to put all of the stuff I have at school - moving back home in just 5 weeks!

I'm sure that if you haven't started yet, spring cleaning is just around the corner for you. Here are just a few of things that I have taken to doing to make my system just a little less disorganized and stressful:

1. Designate piles! This applies mostly for clothes. Make a pile for items that you plan on definitely keeping, a pile for things that are damaged - yet totally fixable! - that you would definitely like to wear again, a pile for items that you never wear and are ready to part with (give this to a community thrift store) and a last pile for items that are stained or ripped beyond repair that you can just throw away.

2. Commit somethings to storage. Especially for my situation this works. I am moving the remainder of my childhood stuff out to make room for my current possessions (books and movies) At the same time I do not really want to give them away so I am putting them in organized boxes and storing them in the attic. All of my childhood books - A Series of Unfortunate Events was a favorite - are being saved for my own children.

3. Be realistic!  Do you REALLY need this or that? If you have not touched something in a very long time and cannot think of anytime that you will need it again soon, toss it or give it away. Spring is all about starting fresh, so don't save anything that will simply remain clutter.

That being said, I am attacking a bulk of my room tonight - closet, bookcase and desk. Wish me luck!

<3 Ashley

Do you have any tips for major spring cleaning?

Keeping Your Priorities In Order

One thing that I have always had difficulty with and have finally made the decision to take on is prioritizing. So many times this year alone have I fallen behind in a class because I have left an assignment to the last minute so I have to complete that rather than the smaller reading assignments. One of my promises to myself for 2013 was to become more organized in my work.

Let me tell you, old habits die hard. I am admittedly guilty of falling behind once or twice since January 1st (I know, already?!) But with two due dates pushed back one week - new favorite professor? - I have vowed to buckle down and not get distracted. Rather, I will plan for something to do to reward myself after I finish all of my work. I have also started keeping a more detailed calendar on my desk that also includes all my due dates. Before I left for college, my aunt gave me a list of advice for college success. One of the items was to keep a calendar and follow it. I should have listened to her earlier!

Here's to my new, hopefully successful, organized system.

<3 Ashley

How do you prioritize and keep your work organized? Or is that something you need to work on as well?