With the semester well on its way, it’s about that time when midterms and big assignments are stressing you out and clutter in your life can just throw you off balance. This is the perfect time to get yourself reorganized to ensure that you breeze through the rest of the semester with flying colors.

Here are some tips to get reorganized and stay focused:

1. Always carry your agenda/planner and log important dates

Carrying it with you everywhere you go will enable you to know exactly what your schedule looks like at any given time. Use different colored pens and highlighters to color code different events or appointments relating to school, work or extracurricular activities. Sticky notes and stickers will also come in handy and will make it fun to write in your agenda every day.

2. Clean out your school bag weekly

Sunday nights are usually when there is some downtime and you can take the time to prepare for the week of school that follows. It’s a good idea to take a few minutes to clean out your school bag. Take out any trash or things that you don’t need to eliminate any clutter.

3. Write a to-do list every morning

Writing out a to-do list will help you see what you have to accomplish by the end of each day and it makes it easier to tackle everything on that list. Crossing off one thing at a time is like a pat on the back that will keep you going. However, be realistic and don’t overwhelm yourself with a long list of things you know you will never get through. Start your list with the things that absolutely must get done that day and at the bottom of the list add the things you wish you get through, if you don’t get through the bottom of the list, it's not the end of the world, simply add it to your list the next day.

4. Clean out your school folder

By this time in the semester you have probably accumulated a stack of papers in your folder that perhaps you don’t need to carry around every day. Take out what you know you won’t need like graded tests or assignments and put them in a separate folder to leave at home. This takes off a little load out of your already cramped bag and makes it easy to find the papers you need if they are all in one place.

5. Revisit your class syllabi

Remember those multi-page contracts professors give out on the first day of class? If you haven’t looked at it since, now is a great time to reread it and cross out assignments you have already completed. Most importantly, look ahead at what is to come for the following weeks. Final papers, tests or semester projects may be coming up and it is important that you are aware in order to plan your time wisely.

By: Jessica Estrada | Image: Tumblr