Back to school season has quickly swept the nation for a lot of us! As many schools have transitioned to online classes (or given you the option to do both online and in-person), I'm sure that you all have a few questions about how to prepare for back-to-school this season. So today, I'm giving you all the top 5 things I do to prepare for school - online edition!
Color Coordinate Calendar
Personally, I desperately need a calendar to keep up with my daily/weekly/monthly responsibilities. To help me with this, I color coordinate my calendar on my phone. For example: pink is for homework, dark purple is for YouTube, and light green is for blogging. This way, I can quickly see what category of responsibilities needs to get done every day before even reading the event.
This tactic may seem a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it, you will be glad you took the time to do it! When planning out my schedule, I always try to make sure to leave one day completely open so that I can give my brain a break from bouncing off the walls! Although things don't always go according to plan, it's still nice to try to get things done in a way that will leave a day or two open for your mental health.
Syllabus Week
The first few days of class are usually the slowest so I highly encourage you to take this time to look at the important dates outlined in the syllabus. I recommend inputting all important things like tests, quizzes, and papers on your calendar so that you make sure you're prepared and you're able to stay motivated/focused.
I also take this time to assign which days I work on specific classes on my agenda. This is super helpful because then I don't have to go back and forth on the school's assignment calendar to figure out what I need to work on that day - I already know exactly what I need to be doing! Of course, there are some days where I need to put in much more work than others because of varying quiz/test schedules, but that's just a part of the school journey.
Buying Books
Although you may be tempted to rush to the bookstore and buy everything from your assigned book list, I highly recommend holding off until a couple days before class when your professors send you opening emails. Usually, they will introduce themselves and give you a bunch of helpful information about the syllabus, how class will work, and how/when to buy your books. A lot of times, you won't need a book from the book list or they'll recommend a cheaper alternative to the required text.
From my experiences, teachers will supply required readings and materials needed for the first week or so of class because they are aware of delays in buying books - so no need to worry about whether or not you'll have the materials for the first few days!
Daily To-Do Lists
As I'm sure you all have seen on my Instagram, I make daily to-do lists to keep up with my tasks everyday. Without a daily to-do list, it is nearly impossible for me to keep up with my schedule during the school year. Creating a to-do list the day before, with or without time stamps, can really help you manage your day because you know exactly what you need to get done for the day, without forgetting the small things!
I highly recommend making your to-do list a checklist because physically checking off items makes you feel a lot more productive than just checking them off in your head! It also helps you keep track of what you have or haven't completed so you aren't left double checking your work.
Personally, I have multiple different calendars with different to-do lists. I use my school's assignment calendar, my Instagram to-do list, my personal to-do list in my notes app, and my Google calendar. I know it sounds a bit obsessive, but it's the only way that I can manage to get everything done in a day!
Set Up My Home Screen
Lastly, one thing that I find extremely helpful is adding my school's online course widgets to my phone's home screen slides. On the top, I have a widget that allows me to see my grades for each course and on the bottom, I have a widget that shows me my assignment calendar.
These really help me keep track of what I have due for the next few days and it's super convenient because I don't have to go through my school's app - I can just scroll on my phone's home screen! If your phone enables you to have these widgets, then I highly recommend putting them on your home screen.
*I'm not sure how widgets work on iPhones, or if they exist on iPhones, but this is just my preferred way of keeping up with my assignment calendar on my Galaxy
Until next time,
xoxo
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved"
John 3:17