With school being just around the corner, I know how difficult it can be to get organized for the school year. Below, you'll find some school changing tips to keep you on top of everything you have going on in your busy life.

Organizing your time:

1. First and foremost, get a planner you know you like, will like in the future, and would be willing to carry with you. Planners can be expensive, but some are refillable with a new calendar and some are even customizable. Obviously cheaper options work just as well, just make sure you like it and it will motivate you to stay on top of all your events.

2. When you get your syllabi for the semester, write down every assignment in your planner so you never miss one. As professors add or drop assignments, adjust accordingly.

3. Color code or section off your planner. My particular planner has the days along the top edge and each day has three separate boxes. You can use these dividers to separate school, work, fun, sports, volunteering, literally whatever you want! If your particular planner doesn't have the days sectioned like that, you can always use different colors for each of your different categories.

Organizing your room:

1. Make sure you have a lot of storage! I'm so glad I brought heaps of boxes and bins for my room. It helped ease the clutter on all of my limited surfaces. Be sure to label your storage bins, so that you don't have to rummage through all of you stuff to find what you're looking for.

2. Keep your desk organized. Don't save all of your papers from all your classes. I promise you won't need a majority of your papers from gen ed classes. I never (and I do mean never, my roommate can attest to it) used my desk, and I attribute that mainly to the fact that I used my desk top as a table for my assorted junk, and not as a work space. If you keep your desk top organized and the drawers full of only papers that you need and supplies, you'll end up being a lot more productive and a lot less overwhelmed.

3. This is going to sound a little "duh!", but keep your living space clean for your sake and for your roommates sake. Wash your dishes as soon as you've dirtied them and fold your laundry as soon as you bring it back to your room. I waited days before folding my clothes and had several dishes piled up before I was ever bothered to do them. That's gross. Don't be me.