It's a new year and everything seems so fresh, inspiring, and maybe a little stressful already. Your professors may have hit you with homework your first day of class, your room might already be a mess, or you just want to get your life together. Well, here's some things that I have found always help me stay on track, organized, and positive throughout the school year!

1. USE. A. PLANNER.

I seem to have picked up an obsession with planners over the last couple years. Following my newfound fascination, my mom and dad would always say "You can't plan everything!"

I recommend keeping a planner with EVERYTHING you need like dates, times, locations, notes about events, etc. If you want to go a step further, you can always color code your planner for different classes, work, and other things. You better bet all of my classes, organizations, band, orchestra, and work all have different color codes.

2. Gather all of your schedules.

If you participate in organizations like your school's soccer team, marching band, a sorority or fraternity, or even the Quidditch club (hey, it's a thing here at Furman), before meetings/practices even begin, try to get your schedules in line so you won't miss an important event, track meet, or practice. I promise, it's worth the 30 minutes of putting everything in order. These should all go neatly in your beloved planner - that should never leave your side.

3. Pay attention to your syllabi

You've probably heard this one a lot because well, it's important... Your syllabus for each class holds lots of information like office hours, attendance policies, assignments, due dates, etc. I recommend going through every one of your syllabi (yes, even the one for your fitness/wellness credit) and circling every due date. These should ALSO go in your beloved planner.

Pro tip: I like to take the extra time to go through my planner and write in a week, 5 days, and 3 days ahead of a due date to make sure I keep on top of everything. It helps tremendously, so there's no surprises.

4. Schedule time to sleep, eat, and the other essentials.

Sleep is probably the most important but most neglected part of college life. As well as sleep being important, we also need time to eat, socialize (cus that's the best part of college, right?), and of course, study and do homework. Time management is probably one of the best skills you will learn in your time at college; getting into the routine of doing everything efficiently and ahead of time will work wonders for your well being, stress levels, sleep, and of course, living life. No one likes drowning in homework. Except maybe the Grinch.

5. Make a list or schedule for cleaning, laundry, etc.

I know this has really helped me in the past: I like to take an hour or two during one day of the week to clean everything. Typically, this falls on a Friday or Sunday, but atleast it gets done. If you share housing with other students, break up the responsibilities so there's not so much you have to do. It's not really fair that you clean the entire bathroom all the time.

Also, take this time to tidy up as well. I've found a clean space usually keeps me from getting distracted while I'm working.

If you find that having one single hour open in the day is too difficult, you can break it up into 10 minutes of cleaning a day. Hooray, time management!

6. Set a bedtime.

We may not be in elementary school anymore, but like I said before, sleep is a very neglected thing in college. However, our bodies literally cannot function properly without sleep - SO set a bedtime for yourself. It probably shouldn't be later than midnight. Once you get into a set routine, it makes it A LOT easier to wake up in time for those 8am classes... as long as you get ENOUGH sleep. 8 is best, but 6 is do-able.

7. Prioritize health and fitness.

You don't have to aim to be a champion body builder, but the Freshman 15 is a real thing. If you don't know this by now, college can be very stressful which can make it very difficult to maintain or lose weight. Sure, you might walk around campus all day to classes and meetings, but walking may not be enough to stave off the weight. Figure out what days and times in your schedule are the best for getting to the gym, and DO NOT skip out! Cus food. You'll feel so much better in the long run.

Also, running is a huge stress reliever. Ever see those late night runners on campus? Yea, that's probably why.

8. Figure out a system for your class materials and stick with it.

So you have a Wellness/Health class, a Biology class, a seminar, and a Calculus class. Have a filing/storing system for each of these classes. If you just write notes for your seminar, you probably don't need a huge 2" binder but maybe a small notebook with a pocket. If you have to print Powerpoints for your Health class, hole punch all of them and keep them in dated order in a 3-ring binder.

9. Set up a work space.

I understand that these tiny dorm rooms only give you so much space to work with, but I highly recommend that you not use your bed as a work space. When your mind registers your bed as a place for sleeping, your body is going to want to sleep whenever you're in your bed. Imagine what would happen if you tried to study in bed... Yea.

Most universities provide desks in the dorms, and if they don't, this is no excuse. Every campus is located near a library or has their own work places. Working at a certain place, like an area of the library, or at your desk in your dorm, or the kitchen table in your apartment will help put you in the mindset of studying/working in that certain place instead of crashing on your Music Theory textbook.

10. Build strong social relationships.

Establishing good friendships as soon as you get to college (or return for another year) is very important. Even if you're a shy person, everyone feels lonely at times. Even just having a few people to have lunch, get coffee, or study with is a very great thing to have - especially away from home. As soon as you can build a strong, supportive community, the happier you will be while pursuing your career. Who knows? Maybe that shy girl sitting next to you in your freshman seminar could be your best friend for life.

11. Connect with yourself.

My family tends to air on the spiritual side, so it may not be as easy for some people... However, it is very important that within these next few years you find yourself, learn more about yourself, and get out of your comfort zone. No one grows from staying in a stationary place.

I love yoga. I love the aerial arts. However, I'm not a flexible person who has danced all their life, or even taken great care of themselves up until I came to Furman - BUT when I take yoga classes or aerial arts classes, I'm pushing my limits and finding a way to try something new which helps me learn more about myself. In a way, college is about finding yourself.

I'm not saying go swing around on the silks (however, yea, that's REALLY fun), but try something new. Go for a hike, keep a journal, go to a play. Connect with your inner being.

12. Just keep pushing forward.

I think out of all the above, this is the most important.

Last year, my sophomore year, seemed like a particularly difficult "sophomore slump." Yes, it's a real thing. Every day, I would feel like crap, wake up pissed off at the world, get into fights with people I was close to, not be able to see the good in situations... I was a mess.

Although I was in kind of a rough spot last year, I had very supportive family and friends that would always remind me that it gets better, you just have to keep pushing. Actually, I would encourage you to go easy on yourself, but don't slack. I mean don't call yourself mean names, don't get down on yourself, and most importantly, DON'T give up. As long as you keep moving forward, you will turn out fine. Just keep swimming!