Get Organized

Organizing a Busy Life in High School: Ways to Stay In Control

By: Josephine Rustay

My alarm sounds, I yawn, and reluctantly get out of bed. Every day is so jam- packed, and I can’t seem to get a hold of everything. It feels disorganized. After I go to school, I have swim practice, then hours of homework, and I still have to find time to do things I enjoy, most of all--sleep. It can be hard organizing your life and keeping track of everything you do; I know I have a hard time with this. After some research and trying some strategies to find out what works for me, I came up with a list of some ways you can get your life under control while having an easy, accessible way to do so.

Most teenagers now have a phone, and most of us are attached to our phones, no matter the time of day. When we wake up in the morning, the first thing we grab is our phone, and the last thing we look at before bed is, you guessed it, our phones. Because so many of us spend so much time on mobile devices, getting an app to help you remember everything and keeping up with your schedule isn’t a terrible idea. Most iPhones have a calendar and a reminder app, but they aren't always the most convenient and user-friendly. I did a bit of research and found a few apps that look easy to manage and helpful in balancing your life (and they are also free to download).

The first app is called Lists To Do, which is a free app that helps with your to-do lists and daily functions. While there are some in-app purchases, the basic application itself is free to use and is a great app to organize your schedule and daily life. The other app is called Week Planner To-Do List, which is similar to Lists To Do, but also has a calendar option so you can look at your schedule. Both of these apps are great organization apps of many out there. Take time to do a bit of research, and you can find what's right for you.

If you are someone who would prefer to not look at your phone all the time, but you still want a digital means of organization, there are some websites you can use on your computer/laptop in place of an app. One of the websites I use is notion.so. Notion is an amazing website that is perfectly tailored to your needs. You create and organize the tabs on this website to be custom-made to what you want it to be. Notion is free for one user (you have to pay if you're using it for a group function), but if you're using it for yourself, there is no fee necessary. Notion is an amazing website, and so is Trello. Trello is similar to Notion but has a few differences. If you are considering one of these, make sure to check both of them out, and then you can get set up and get started on organizing your life.

And last, if you prefer to have a paper copy of something because you don’t always like looking at your screen, getting a planner is a great idea. There are many different types of planners (I personally like the Blue Sky planners), and there are so many videos about how to set it up so you get the most use out of it. Planners can be fun as well because you're constantly keeping up with it and can decorate and design it anyway you would like. One thing I would like to point out is that if you decide to get a planner, it can be a bit difficult in the upkeep if you forget about it every now and then. If you're someone who likes to journal and design pages and doodle, then a planner is a great idea, but if you’re constantly on the go and don’t have time to keep up as much, then one of the digital options might be best for you.

So many of our lives are full of activities and responsibilities, and sometimes we can get caught up in these things and forget to do something. So an app, a website, or a planner are great means to start keeping track of your daily activities. If you’re not sure which would be best for you, pick one to try out, and if it isn't working after a while, you can try a new method. After you start gaining control of the craziness of your life, you'll start to feel less rushed and stressed and more organized.