Back to School

School starts tomorrow and I. Am. Ready. I have a year under my belt and I like to think I have some idea of what I'm doing. Fake it till you make it, right?

I thought I would share some of the things I do to stay organized and sane during the school year. (Read: not cry and/or pull out my hair. I save all that for finals week!)

1. Use a planner. Religiously.

Now this may sound like a no brainer, but finding both a planner and a planning system that works for you is, I believe, half the battle when it comes to surviving graduate nursing school. If I'm not organized, everything falls apart; I can't prioritize, things don't get done, etc.

I personally use a written planner. I color code it and spend roughly 30 minutes on Sunday nights planning my week. Classes are pink, clinicals are orange, teaching assistant stuff is yellow, work is blue, and so on.

I also have a version of this on a bulletin board directly above my desk that I can easily add 'To Do' post-it notes to. I find that writing everything I need to do in my planner takes up too much space and makes things messy, ultimately defeating the purpose of having a planner in the first place.

2. Set all of your monthly bills to auto-pay. And sign up for electronic statements.

Not going to lie. There are some weeks when I check my mail maybe once a week. I have to drive up to the thing and get out of my car. Who has the time?

Electronic statements remind me that the bill is due soon (Is there enough money in my account to cover this?) and I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing it will automatically be paid on time. No late fees! And it's one less thing on my 'To Do' list.

3. Meal Prep.

If I can do this, you can do this. You'd be amazed at the things you can make in a crock pot! This is not only a time saver, but it is easy on my wallet. And who doesn't need to eat better?!

Hope this helps. And I hope you have a great first week back to school!

How are you organizing yourself for the new school year?