It seems like it was just last week I was celebrating the end of fall semester, wrapping Christmas presents, and welcoming in the New Year with friends and family. For me, the New Year always involves making several kinds of lists. Sometimes they are year-long, month-long or week-long resolutions. Unfortunately, the year-long resolutions are always broad in my ability to get them done, such as “look into studying abroad” and “get good grades."

Fortunately for me, the month-long lists have a much bigger impact, since I know what I will have assigned, what to expect with the weather and my personal schedule, and how I have to complete it in the duration of the month ahead. Four months into 2016 and I am writing another to-do list, and hopefully this gives you your own ideas of what to do with the month ahead, and maybe the motivation to write your own list. Feel free to steal some of my ideas!

Go through and organize your supplies and work space.

Exams are in roughly a month, and life is getting hectic with the amount of projects, papers, homework, and tests being assigned. It may seem like life is going faster than you can complete the work, or at least keep it organized. My advice is to take an afternoon, preferably on a weekend (since there is no class), and super organize your school place, whether that be your locker, desk, backpack or computer. Throw away old scrap paper and things that you know you will not need for tests and exams, and for the ones you will need, put them back in the notebook or folder they belong in. Stack books and folders neatly and put your binders in the places they belong. Get rid of the clutter that is just taking up space. You will quickly see how much more focused and school-oriented you’ll be. Treat this time like the first day again, and organize all the things that you use for the last stretch of the semester.

Really take advantage of “Spring Cleaning” time.

Now, I am a big stickler on keeping a clean space, since I think it's the best way to make the most progress. If there is less to clean, then there is more time that can be spent on things of priority, like school, work, and family. Spring time, however, is the best opportunity to make the space really pristine. Getting all the stuffiness of winter out of your room makes everything much brighter, lighter, and cleaner. Take time to wash your bed clothes, sweep, dust, wash the windows and go through your closet, switching out your winter wardrobe for your summer one. At the very least, open up the windows and let a fan run to keep some fresh air circulating.

Make real summer plans.

Since spring is here and the semester is coming to a close, summer will be the next topic of discussion. I'm not saying to make plans to go out of the country, or to buy something expensive, or necessarily anything close to extravagant. But start getting an idea of when you want to accomplish. Are you planning to go on vacation? Does it fit in your schedule, and can you afford it now? Or maybe your focus is summer work. It would be best to apply for jobs now, rather than waiting until the end of the semester. Employers will be looking for seasonal help now, so have a head start. There is also summer classes to consider, so enrolling now is the most ideal. Your summer plans do not have to be concrete, but it is smart to have an idea so you can focus on your year moving forward successfully.

Take advantage of office hours/ times to see instructors.

Even if you're doing fine in your classes, it is best to know for certain where you stand in a class. If you're doing well, ask the instructor about where you can find resources for the exams and final assignments to continue excelling. If you're doing less than desirable, ask where you can improve. If all else fails and you can't get your grade up to what you need it to be, consider withdrawing and retaking it during a semester when you're more focused, possibly with a different professor or at a different time. Considering online classes and local tutoring as well.

Get your car checked out.

Finally, after a harsh winter, it is the time to take your car to the shop to get everything up to date. Snow and salt are really rough on cars, so perhaps consider oil spraying your car at your local mechanic. Get things like the oil changed, mileage checked, tires rotated or replaced, battery and brakes checked. Having an expert take a good look under the hood and under the vehicle for any problems or concerns will benefit your car in the long run. If you don't have a car, ask your friends and family to get their routine maintenance done. Treating your car right will make it run longer and more efficiently, and after the winter some of these us had, it is the best investment.

By this point, my April to-do list is full of basic ideas and tasks that need to be completed. But yours might be different, and that's perfectly fine! 2016 is already a fourth of the way over, and taking advantage of the time ahead will allow for real goals to be accomplished and progress to be made. I hope whatever you choose to do, it is productive and makes an impact on your April!