Student Blog: A Busy Student's Toolbox: 4 Tools That Work For Me

College can be very overwhelming for any student. Between homework assignments, exams, and extracurriculars, keeping a healthy balance can be a challenge. You may be wondering how a healthy balance can be achieved. While it can be difficult, the key is to stay committed and organized. Here are some tools I use to remain focused on my goals:

First, I love using an app called Notion. I love this app because it can be whatever you want it to be. For me, it’s an academic hub where I can check my progress towards my degree and keep track of my assignments. This helps me stay organized since I can check when all my work is due. Once my assignments have been completed, I can check them off, which is super satisfying as well. If you’re not a fan of apps, use a planner! Having a place to keep track of everything you need to do is vital to keeping a healthy balance and not losing focus. 

Next, I enjoy using another app called Tiimo. This is another app that I use to plan my days out. It allows me to block out time in my day for activities that are more long-term, such as clubs. I can schedule an event with a start and end time, and I have a widget that appears on my lock screen so I can see my events at a glance. That way, I don’t miss anything I schedule. This works really well for me, so I suggest that those with a lot on their plate give this app a try too!

In addition, I also find sleep to be vital to my success. I won’t ramble about the importance of resting, but I will say getting a good amount of sleep helps me be more productive during the day. When I stay up too late, I find myself feeling really groggy and unproductive the next day, which doesn’t help me in the slightest. Getting a good amount of sleep is super important, not just for productivity reasons, but for your overall health too.

Finally, the last tool that I find really helpful is utilizing the study spots on campus. It may sound obvious, but there are so many hidden study spots on campus that I like to use. I find it really useful to scope out different spots to study and figure out what kind of environment you need to be successful. Once you’ve figured that out, explore! Find spots on your campus that suit your needs and make you feel productive. A lot of academic buildings aside from the library have great spots to study, so make use of them!

Overall, between using apps, sleeping, and finding good places to study, there are a lot of easy tools for you to utilize in order to be your most successful self. By maintaining healthy habits, you will maintain strong motivation for years to come, both in the educational and professional world.