With the new year of 2022 beginning, now is a great time to reflect on what organizational strategies worked and what may not have. The past year has been filled with uncertainties, and whether it was transitioning from remote learning to hybrid learning, or adjusting back to the normal school schedule, it was easy to get overwhelmed when organizing everything that needed to get done. If you are struggling to stay organized or are just interested in a new method to organize your life in and out of school, here are some easy and accessible tools that may work for you!

Todoist

The first organizational tool that might be helpful to get organized for 2022 is the website todoist.com. Todoist is essentially an online to-do list where you can easily make homework task lists and organize what assignments you may need to complete through sub-categories. In addition to making task lists that can be checked off, there is also a “projects” section where you can put larger tasks, ones that may take more than a day or two to complete. If you think an online to-do list might be useful, this could be a great website to add to your bookmark bar on your computer. 

Planner

The second easy way to get organized for the new year is by using a planner. Planners are small, easy to fit into any backpack or bag, and are a great way to organize your life both in and out of school. Planners usually have a calendar section for each month, so that may be useful for writing down events, appointments, or even tests for classes. Planners also have weekly layouts where you can write down assignments or anything that you may need to remember. According to a Forbes article titled “Neuroscience Explains Why You Need To Write Down Your Goals If You Actually Want To Achieve Them”, you are “1.2 to 1.4 times more likely to successfully accomplish [your] goals” if you picture them in your head. Physically writing down goals is a proven way to not only remember to do a task, but can act as a first step to starting said task. Using a planner is a popular and accessible choice for organizing your daily life, and if you are more of a “paper person,” this would be a great option to get organized for 2022.

Google Calendar

The last easy way to get organized for the new year is to use Google Calendar. If you haven’t already heard of Google Calendar, it is an app that is already on your school Chromebook and is a great way to remember what you need to do and when. The Google Calendar app breaks down each day by the hour, and from there you can add in tasks, reminders, events, appointments, or anything else that you like. This app is a great organizational tool because it can be accessed on both your computer and your phone, so if you don’t have your computer, you can still add tasks to your calendar from a different device. There are also several ways to customize your calendar to have different colors and highlight different tasks, so Google Calendar could be a great option to get organized.

Whether you currently use a Google Doc with bullet points or a crumbled-up sticky note, it is important to stay organized during the school year. With any of these three ways to get organized, you can integrate new organizational habits into your life and start the new year with a new sense of motivation.

Sources:

• https://todoist.com/app/project/2281136143
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2018/04/15/neuroscience-explains-why-you-need-to-write-down-your-goals-if-you-actually-want-to-achieve-them/?sh=22f91c127905
• https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/r

Image Source:

• https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/lifestyle/best-planners-life-organizers-1071106/