If you're about to head to college this fall, you've probably been busy gathering items to take on this adventure. If you're the parent of a college student, you've likely been a part of that process. I am going to direct some organizing tips and product suggestions to students, but parents, listen in so you can provide support where needed.
Organizing your living space and making a productivity plan now will give you a huge head start when you get to campus!
Step One: Organize Your Space
Moving into college dorms, or even into off-campus housing, can be an exercise in minimalism. Since you probably won't be staying at the Biltmore Estate, you'll have to adjust to the challenges of dorm and small-space living. Here are our top 3 tips and products to organize your small space so your dorm or apartment feels like a home away from home!
Remember to search for second-hand and free options on your neighborhood Buy Nothing groups before you go shopping!
Optimize Vertical Space
Bed Risers: In a small residence, the bed creates a considerable, if not the largest, footprint in the space. Your parents or grandparents may have used bricks to raise their dorm bed back in the day, but elevating the bed with bed risers remains a fantastic way to create storage space and extra room. You can put drawers under an elevated bed for extra clothing storage.
Lofted Beds: Under a lofted bed, create a cozy study corner or desk nook.
Shelves, Hooks, etc.: If you can find other ways to utilize the vertical space in your room, you get bonus points! Install floating shelves, back-of-door organizers, and hooks to keep the floor space as clear as possible.
Communicate with roomies so you don't waste money on duplicate items!
Keep Desk Space Tidy
You'll want to keep the desktop as clear as you can by only placing the essentials within reach. Desktop organizers, drawer organizers, and cord organizers can all help keep the workspace functional and tame the tech tangle.
Get Ready for Laundry Day A lightweight hamper and a caddy for all your supplies will help make laundry day easier. Remember to set a timer on your phone or use a handy timer like Time Timer® for each cycle so you don't forget your clothes in the laundry room!
Even if you aren't going to college or sending a student away, but you have an extra functioning microwave, lamp, or duffle bag lying around, this is the perfect time of year to offer those things up to your neighbors!
Step Two: Plan for Productivity
A tidy space is helpful in a lot of ways, but it doesn't mean you'll automatically get more work done. You need mental organization and time management skills for that. So, let me share of few tips on how to maximize productivity—a sister to physical organization.
Strategize Your Goals
College is a wonderful time of opportunity, and you can do anything you want to. But you cannot do everything. You have to choose what is right for you because there will be an endless array of options vying for your precious time and attention. Think about how you would answer the following questions.
- What do you want this year to look like?
- How would you describe a successful school year or semester?
- Is it super important to keep your grades up so you keep your scholarship?
- Do you want to make a ton of new friends?
- Maybe school athletics is your thing and you want to be the biggest, most loyal fan in the crowd.
Whatever your priorities are, now is the time to think about them. Write down your top three priorities for the school year.
Use a Calendar
Whether you use a digital calendar or a paper calendar, this simple tool will help you reach the goals you created in the previous tip.
- As soon as you get your class schedule, input all your classes into your calendar.
- If you have a job or other extracurricular commitments, put those items in your calendar as well.
- Look at the time you have remaining. When will you study? Will you want to go home on weekends or stay at school and enjoy campus life? Put it in your calendar.
- Then, when you go to that first day of class, look at the syllabus each professor gives you. Are there weekly quizzes, mid-term exams, or projects in the schedule? Put all of those into your calendar, too.
If you are organized, nothing will sneak up on you leading to those dreaded all-nighters!
Determine Your Boundaries
You have your priorities in place and your game plan (AKA your calendar) mapped out. Remember when I mentioned those endless options that will be vying for your attention? Well, this is where your boundaries come in to protect your priorities.
Some examples of boundaries that could serve you might be setting a limit on the number of social events you attend each week, designating one weekend afternoon as your "reset time" to tidy up your space, only skipping one class per month, or doing laundry once a week so you don't run out of clean socks. Oh, and don't forget to leave enough time for sleep! Only you will know what boundaries are best for you, but the college experience will be much more manageable if you give yourself some ground rules.
Remember healthy boundaries create freedom for the things that are truly important to you!
Making the Adjustment
It's not easy to adjust to a new environment, with new people and added responsibilities. But, independence is a great feeling. Like anything else you've tackled so far, all you can do is make sure you've prepared as well as possible so you have the best opportunity for success. I hope these tips help!
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