While summer is a great time to relax and unwind (or maybe not, if you're a fan of summer classes) you shouldn't throw all your cares to the wind as soon as your last final is done. It's too easy to give into the temptation of summer and forget what day of the week it is. However, letting your conscientiousness slip too far runs you the risk of falling behind when it's time to buckle down and beat the school year. With classes, clubs, volunteering, work, and social events, it's easy to let the year overwhelm you. Here are some of my favorite ways to stay organized during the school year!

Plan out your day in advance.

I know, it sounds like hard work, but believe me when I say that planning my days has been one of the biggest things that has helped me to get my productivity back on track. I recommend penciling when you have class, scheduling in when you'll go to the gym, and of course when you have obligations related to work or group projects. Not only will this help you to keep track of everything you need to get done, you will also feel a strong sense of accountability seeing your to-do list written down in front of you.

Buy a planner and actually use it.

How many of you are guilty of buying a planner, convincing yourself that this is the year that you'll finally use it.... and then never using it. When I was in high school, we were issued planners and strongly encouraged us to use them, which I never did. Now that I'm in college, I carry my planner with me wherever I go. Even if I'm going on a vacation, I keep my planner on me. It sounds weird but if there's a change in an appointment or class, I can write it in immediately. If you consistently forget to use your planner, try buying one in a cute pattern that you like. It'll keep you encouraged to continue using it!

Take advantage of color coding.

Color coordination helps your brain to differentiate tasks and compartmentalize what needs to get done. I like to separate things on my to-do list by color in my planner- pink is things I have to do for work, purple is class, green is for homework, and everything else is written in blue. You could even go one step forward and color code by class! Believe me, your work and your GPA will thank you.