Just Pitschin’ Ideas: How can I get more organized?
by Madison Pitsch
Dear Madison,
I am so unorganized. How can I get myself back together?
When I was younger, my mom always said, “There’s no use in fighting who you are, Madison.” This was not in reference to being bullied in elementary school, or ‘trying to find myself’ in junior high. This was in reference to my extreme inability to keep myself organized.
As a self-identified Type B personality, I’ve had to struggle my way through lots of missing assignments and scribbling essays right before they’re due to find an organizational style that works for me. And this style is constantly evolving based on my current situation. This is for you Type B’s. I can see the Type A’s laughing at this now because they were probably born knowing all these things.
The best advice I can give you is to find a planner. A real-life, hold-it-in-your-hands planner. I know a lot of people use the calendar app on their phones, but writing it down commits it to memory, personally. I have my nice little two-tone denim planner and my favorite green pen to jot down assignments, notes, thoughts and songs I want to listen to in the future. Talk about versatility. The tangibility of a planner not only helps me remember things, but it also takes my eyes off a screen every once in a while.
Remember syllabus week? That calm and blissful week right after break when homework was a non-issue and life was alright? Take that time to scribble down some assignments in your planner and work ahead. Working ahead will free you up when little hiccups happen in your planning. You’ll thank yourself later.
The key component to keeping my life together are sticky notes. I stick them on the mirror in my bathroom (sorry, roommates!), on the ledge of my desk so I can take them off and crumple them with every mounting accomplishment and sometimes I even put them in books when there’s a part that I think I should remember for a test. If I could hug anyone, it would be the person who invented those. They save my life.
Do you have any organizational skills that Type B’s could benefit from? Let us know! Email us at sower@cune.org
