Being a college student nowadays feels nearly impossible. Most college students are full-time students who are working at least one job and have other out of school commitments. As a student working two part-time jobs, with 20 units and working as a student reporter/photographer for the Rip, I can personally attest that the most important skill a student can have nowadays is the art of being organized.

To anyone who prefers waiting until the night before to write a 10-page paper and runs on 4 hours of sleep, here are some tips.

Get a planner. Typically, my planner is divided into three areas: what to do daily, what to do this week as far as school assignments and what to do this week outside of school. Many people try to think of their week in a daily format, focusing only on what needs to get done by the end of the day.

The problem with doing this is that it leaves everything to the last minute. First of all, you are in a rush every day just to figure out what needs to get done. Secondly, it almost always eventually leads to a weekly format but as a last minute thought. If you try to focus on your schedule primarily in a weekly format, you will have a better understanding of what you need to get done every day.

Once you have a planner and have formatted it to fit your weekly schedule, set aside time during your week dedicated just to planning out your week. Every Sunday night, for at least 15 minutes, I look at what assignments I have coming up this week and schedule exactly when I am going to get them done. After scheduling exactly when I am going to finish my homework, I move on to scheduling important meetings: calling professors, possible news stories, study groups. After this, I schedule in any personal plans.

After you have your week planned, the next, and possibly the most difficult part, is staying focused and committed to this plan. After going to school all day and working all afternoon, it feels incredibly tempting to go home and get straight into bed. It is easy to think to myself that whatever I have scheduled to do that evening can wait one night. Don’t do that.

Once you put it off one night, one night turns into two, then two nights turns into the weekend, and the next thing you know, you are staying up until 3 in the morning writing a research paper for your 8 a.m. class. No matter how tired you may feel, you will always benefit more by sticking to a schedule rather than playing the procrastination card, even for one night.

Being organized and focused is a large part of being a successful college student, but that does not mean it is the only aspect of college life. To have a truly successful college career, one has to understand balance and their own personal limits. The better you take care of yourself physically and mentally, the more successful you will find yourself academically.

 If you have questions on balancing your busy schedule, send your questions to Veronica at 

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