By Deema Al Bugmi

Don’t be the stereotypical frazzled college student; follow these tips to stay organized.

•  Keep a planner

If you’re a visual person, a planner will go a long way. It will lay out all the things you need to get done during the week. A good tip is to sync your calendar to your laptop to your phone. Color-coordinate your work according to its category such as school, work, or to-do.

• If available, download your syllabus and lecture slides ahead of time

Download/print and go through the syllabus for each course. This will help you get an idea of what the content and assignments will be about.

• Don’t procrastinate

I’m guilty of procrastinating, so I know just the trick to help you avoid this nasty habit. Set yourself some dedicated study time. Turn your phone off, disconnect from the Internet and give your work your undivided attention for two hours. If you need more time, take a 15-minute break in between.

• Five minutes for cleaning and organizing

You will be amazed at what you can do in five minutes. Just set a timer and do some basic organizing chores: put papers in the right folders, delete those extra files you don’t need on your laptop and so on. It’s a simple way to always stay de-cluttered.

• Sleep well

I saved the most important tip for last. We always seem to overlook sleep and view it as a choice rather than a necessity. Sleeping well is not only crucial to your performance, but it’s also very important for your health. To get a good night sleep, set a sleeping time and stick to it no matter what. Customize when to sleep according to your schedule, but always ensure to get at least seven hours of rest.

Five Struggles Every College Student Knows

1. 8 a.m. classes

No comment. Just, sigh.

2. What is sleep?

Getting good grades, having a decent social life and sleeping well seem to always be in competition in a balanced life. For some reason sleep is always the first out the window.

3. Getting grouped with slackers

When you have to carry the workload of three other people because no one wants to put in the work. Ugh!

4. Difficult professors

You must’ve come across that one particular professor that you just can’t seem to please. You can have William Shakespeare write a paper for your English Literature course and they still won’t like it!

5. Hell week

You know what I’m talking about. Hell week is the week that has even Satan sitting back in awe and giving the professors a standing ovation. It’s when all midterms, assignments and projects are due IN THE SAME WEEK. Ah, I’m cringing just writing that sentence.