It’s not often I go through a day without someone asking me:
Kirsten, how do you manage to do everything?
That question is usually followed by a response where I talk about the fact that I actually don’t do everything and it’s incredibly easy for things to fall through the cracks. Everyone makes mistakes, even the do-it-all girl. This year, I actually didn’t know I had any homework due in a class until March. You read that right; I forgot about homework for two months. But, I’m in the process of catching up and, if I’ve learned anything since starting college 3 and a half years ago, I can probably still swing an A in the class.
I’ve learned a lot in college and, if you haven’t started yet, you will too. You’ll learn how to navigate complex social structures and hierarchies similar to those in the jungle (only kind of kidding here) and how to manage a million things all at once. I’m here to share my tips on “doing it all” and how to get the most out of your college experience.
Pick things you love. I know it sounds generic, but don’t do something just because everyone else is doing it. You’ll wind up spending time on things that don’t help you grow as a person and time on things you don’t enjoy. If you choose to do things you actually love, you’ll not only have fun doing them, you’ll meet other individuals who share your same interests.
Sit down and get organized. Dedicate some time to writing all of your assignments, due dates, meetings, office hours, etc. in a planner. You’ll thank me later. Finding it hard to get organized? Pick a planner you love. I highly recommend Erin Condren Life Planners. I have tried switching planners in the past but I have always reverted back to the EC Life Planner. Erin Condren is great because the planner actually feels like it’s yours and it is, because it’s actually made just for you! The planners run kind of expensive, but you’re paying for quality paper that pens won’t bleed through and the customization. You can choose whether you want a horizontal or vertical layout, whether you want 12 or 18 months, and you can get a ton of different stickers and dashboards (I have a meal planning dashboard and to-do dashboard) that make it easy to continue customizing your own planner as you go. You can check out my very own planner (and my life schedule) below!
Find a method that works for you. I am a morning person, so I have to work around that schedule. Sometimes it means waking up before the sunrise and going to sleep at 9 pm. Sometimes it means cooking all day on Sunday so I don’t have to during the week. Don’t forget to write it all down in that planner I mentioned!
Show up to class (and take good notes). No one has sympathy for the kid who isn’t doing well and didn’t even bother showing up to learn.
Allocate extra time for things you don’t want to do. Also, don’t wait until the last minute to do them. They will probably take you longer than you think because you don’t want to do them. And those things you have months to do? There is a reason you have months to do them. They will probably take much longer than a day, so try your best to work on them when you have the time rather than all at the last minute.
Tests: study one hour or one chapter a day leading up to the exam and review everything the night before. This system seems to help me so I don’t end up cramming all at the last minute.
Try not to overcommit. I am guilty of this one because I just want to do everything. But I always have to remind myself; do I want to be mediocre at everything or extraordinary in just a few things? This is why I ended up dropping out of several other clubs to focus on the fashion club, my blog, and graduating of course.
About my LifePlanner:
I bought the horizontal layout in the neutral tones. This keeps it from being too distracting with all the stickers and highlighters I use. I like to stick to a general color scheme when writing dates down; for example, all of my exams are written on the rounded corner rectangle stickers in the light pink.
The planners can take a bit of a long time to reach you, especially if you order during peak times. However, I usually order in July so I know my planner will arrive for the new year. You usually receive a coupon with your order as well, so you can always choose to buy more accessories for your planner later!
I paid extra for the rose gold binding and I absolutely love it. I love all my things in rose gold, which you probably know if you’ve followed my fashion blog for a while!
Is the Life Planner worth it?
Absolutely. I use it every single day and it helps me get so organized. I’ll spend the money if it gets the job done.
Unsure if the LifePlanner is perfect for you?
Try it out now! They are currently 50% off so you can give it a go for the rest of 2017 and see if you like it for next year!
If you have any more questions regarding the Life Planner, please don’t hesitate to ask!
>> Purchase your own EC Life Planner HERE <<
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Erin Condren. The opinions and text are all mine.
Your planner is beautiful. I love all the stickers and washi tape. I’d love to see a blog post on how you organize your planner.
http://goldclutter.com
Thanks for the feedback! Maybe I’ll do a post like that soon!
I have and love this planner! It’s totally my go-to.
Love this! I just posted a post about making the most out of college: http://thesofieyahdiaries.com/lifestyle/making-the-most-of-college
But I agree with all your points xD
I do like Erin Condren’s planners! They are just so dang expensive!
Being organized is so important whether you’re in school or just in your daily life! Sometimes it can be hard to keep track of activities, events, etc. so having a planner is SO helpful. Love yours!
I’ve bought so many planners and have yet kept up with them. My phone is everything. From planning to… Well everything. I love it that I sync my laptop to my phone. But I know it’s a bad habit. I know I’ll forget the planner at the house or somewhere where as for my phone will I need it. What can u suggest to make to switch from technology to paper???
I used to do the same thing! It’s so nice for my computer and phone to sync together! Honestly, I don’t think it’s a bad habit to keep track of everything in your phone if it works for you! YOU need to do what works for YOU. I found that writing things down in a planner helped me remember because I usually remember writing something down even if I don’t remember what it is! If you really want to make a switch, I would start by trying to carry the planner everywhere and just writing things down. If you forget the planner, set a reminder to write it down later, until it becomes a habit to bring it.
I had an EC Life Planner two years ago and had a love-hate relationship with it. I have since used the Purposeful Planner (similar, love-hate relationship) and am now using a bullet journal which I love!
This is my first year not using an Erin Condren & I miss it so much, it’s a great planner!
xoxo, SS
http://www.southernandstyle.com/2017/03/whats-up-wednesday.html
I am in love with your planner girl!!!!
http://thebbar.org/
I love my EC planner. It was a total lifesaver in college.
Nicole | GenTwenty.com
Love this! All great tips on how not only to be a do-it-all girl, but also how to manage college effectively! And love your planner – it looks so neat and tidy! I love my planner to be organized as well!
Getting organized is a BIG ONE. I was a hot mess during school trying to do everything and not be organized!
Greta | http://www.gretahollar.com
Your planner is so pretty! I’ve heard great things about Erin Condren’s planner, but they are just so expensive!
Hey Kirsten,
I found this blog post and I absolutely LOVE your planner! I’ve used them throughout college and all through highschool, and I really want to try one of EC’s planners. Could you tell me what kind of planner you ordered? I want to make sure it’s the horizontal one aswell, I’m just not sure if it’s the delux planner, academic one… also, which package did you buy for the “to-do” stickers?
Anyway, thanks in advance for any responses! Your article was very helpful!
Hailey
It’s the horizontal life planner! I bought some sticky notes, but actually a lot of the stickers came with the planner in a little sticker book! The “to do” stickers are some old stickers I have from a different company called Happy Planner!
Really helpful! I love the Erin Condren, but I don’t have one. But without my personal planner I would definitely have problems 😉
Sandra
Hey I get it! To each their own with the planners – use what works for you! Some people ahve gone digital but I just need it in writing!
I love this! Also, I love the duvet cover in the pics! Where is it from?
Thanks Amelia! I actually got it from Cstudio Home – I did a collab with them on apartment decorating HERE if you want to see and I will be doing an Instagram takeover with them next week (and giving away a whole bedding set)!!