The end of the school year is quickly approaching, and so are final exams. It is easy to feel an overwhelming amount of stress and frustration, but keeping organized is key to a happy, healthy state of mind. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you prepare for all of your end-of-year events.

1. If you have a planner, use it!

I swear by my planner, and I don't know what I would do without it. Not only does it keep me organized, but I also use it to scrapbook and journal in! It's a fun, stress-relieving way to plan out your final days of the school year.

2. Put post-it notes everywhere.

On the mirror, in drawers that you go through multiple times a day, and even on the cover of your notebooks; put post-it notes anywhere that you know you are bound to see them throughout the day. This way it makes it hard to forget necessary tasks.

3. Set small goals throughout the week.

A 20-page paper seems like a lot of work! But if you plan to write an outline one day, find quotes and sources the next, and from then on write three to four pages each day until the due date, it becomes much more manageable.

4. Don't wait until the last minute.

I know it is easy to procrastinate, especially when it comes to writing a huge term paper. But don't wait until the last minute! At least have some sort of draft or outline so that you have something to go off of when you realize you only have two days left to write a 20-page paper.

5. Plan your day out the night before.

I know it can be difficult to have to plan each day out, but trust me it works. Even just having an outfit picked out and ready in the morning makes me feel much more put together. Imagine what having a blocked-out schedule for the day can do!

6. Color code.

It may not work for everyone, but color coding makes everything easy to identify. Whether you color code by course, day of the week, or the significance of the assignment/task, it helps tremendously in the organization department.

7. Don't just organize things for school.

I feel that when one aspect of my life is not as organized as another, I seem to get distracted and stressed out more easily. So keep your room tidy, keep your clothes clean and ironed, and get any unnecessary items out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind!

8. Get a good night's sleep.

This is probably a cliche, but a good night's sleep can really keep you more organized and ready to face the day. I find that when I stay up late at night looking at my phone, the day following becomes tiring and stressful. So put that phone down and get some rest so that you can think clearly and positively the next day!

9. Eat healthy.

Fruit, veggies, and yogurt are foods that I am drawn towards when I am having a busy week. Not only are they easy, on-the-go snacks, they are also light and sweet. They keep me going during the week and give me the energy I need. But let's be real; if you're stressing, a piece of chocolate cake should never be turned down.

10. Make conscious choices about what work needs to come first.

I'm guilty of doing all of my small assignments WEEKS before they're due. It makes me feel good knowing I have something out of the way so early in the game...until I remember that I have a six-page paper due the next day. It may be a luxury to get things done early, but just make sure you have all of your assignments for that week done first.

11. Have a positive attitude.

Keeping a positive attitude is crucial to any success. Stress can bring a lot of negativity into your life, but only if you let it. If you think you are going to fail, you are not giving yourself much of a chance to succeed. Just know that you are doing the best you can, and it will pay off. Optimism is key!