More College Binder Ideas

I have had a lot of people check out this post lately on How to Organize Your College Binder. Makes sense because most colleges start in about three weeks so I can see why a lot of people are looking for ideas on how to organize/how to get started with organizing for school. I loved college, it was so fun and I learned so much. I am relieved I don't have to go back this fall since I recently graduated but I am so grateful for the experience I had while going.
Because of the influx of traffic to that post a lot of people were wondering about the class overview printable I mentioned. Well folks, here it is:

(to download this printable click HERE)

I really used this printable. Especially the class mates info. It was nice to have some place to put down numbers for group projects, etc. I hate group work, if I ever taught college I would not do group work, although I understand it gives some good experience for when you are working in the corporate world on an assignment with a team. 

Anyway I also used a class schedule overview, this is one sheet and can be put in front of a bigger binder used to carry info for all of your classes. It has information to put in such as room number (who doesn't need this on the first day of class), office hours for your professors, etc. 

I would use this in front of my binder and I would add the text book on the class line, that way I knew what was needed for what. To get the class schedule overview printable click HERE.

Well that's it for some more back to school organizing tips. I will be posting more organizing tips as the weeks roll on. I know I have had a major commitment issue with this blog but I feel that I am getting back into the groove of things and I really do love sharing my thoughts and ideas with all of you. 

If any of you have questions or want me to talk about something specific please leave a comment and I will do a post about it. 

Thanks so much guys. 

XO

Caitlin

Erin Condren Life Planner Review 2014> How I use it for college

Today I am so excited to share with you my planner system. It has been working great now for a couple of weeks and I finally have it perfected enough where I want to share it. I have been watching Erin Condren Planner reviews on YouTube for the past month now. I had never heard of the Erin Condren planner until now and I am in love with it. She has such a great eye for detail and the planner is worth the money, I promise. They are a little pricey but its well worth the money. I know I said I would do this review on Wednesday, but the week just got away from me so here it is:

First I want to go over all my supplies. I got the keep it together bands for $6.95. Such a great add on. It makes it easy to stick the planner in my back pack and I don't have to worry about the pages being bent or anything. I highly recommend picking up some when you order your planner. 

I also got the customized notepads. I bought two of them and they stick into the back of the planner. I made sure they were customized with my name and the saying I chose for my planner this year. I use them for random notes and ideas, as well as shopping lists. I can tear out the pages so I don't have to bring my entire planner into the store which is nice. I also ordered the customized stickers for $5.00 a sheet. I will explain more about those in a minute. 

The planner comes with a set of gift labels which you see in the photo above. 

The bag to the left holds my pens that I use for the planner. Lately I have been loving the sharpie pens you can find at staples, however I have been using the paper mate flair pens and I love those as well. Both can be found on amazon. My only criteria with pens is to make sure they don't bleed through the paper and both of these brands pass that test. 

So lets take a look at the planner itself shall we.

First off the planner is pretty thick when you put the notepad in the back. As you can see. The band does a great job of keeping it all together so it doesn't get damaged or ruined. 

I chose the paisley cover. It was such a hard decision. I couldn't decide which cover to choose but I really like this one. You can customize it to say whatever you like. Most people did the Holladay family or something like that and for the second line they did 2014. I really like the quote and its my motto for this year. It helps me to keep in perspective what I am trying to accomplish for 2014. 

When you open it up you see the title page of the planner. Here I put my color coding system. For each class I have a different pen color, it helps me to know what assignments are due when. I also have highlighting colors set out which I use in my binders. This system has been great to keep me organized.

The next thing you see is a spread of birthdays and anniversaries. I have already filled this out (thanks to Facebook for making it easy). There are four months on each page and it goes all the way to December

Next you get this 18 month spread. Which is really helpful, her new planner designs come out in June so if you order in June you can actually get the 18 month planner. I think that is a great idea, I really like the 12 month planner and it makes a great Christmas present so my husband knows what to get me each year. 

This is the month at a glance page. As you can see everything is color codded. I love that. I put all of our bills in black and that way I know when a bill is do. Pink is blog post ideas and I try and post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The stickers help me know when Birthdays are and assignments are due. Here is the other side of February.

As you can see its really busy this month. I block out church activity days, Exams (this is super helpful because then I can see what days I am going to have to study for tests), Family Parties, and Temple Trips. All of these stickers I customized and ordered through her site. The Exam stickers are the best idea. 

Here is a look at March:

I marked off spring break with Vacation stickers. I have a conference that month I am attending so I used the extra stickers in the back to mark that. I have an exam and an assignment due. Its really helpful to plan the month out when I can see what is happening when. 

Here is what a weekly spread looks like:

As you can see I have everything planned out. The colors help me see when assignments are due and its easy to check things off when I complete them. 

I keep track of meal plans and scripture reading at the bottom. School work is up in the top, I usually put homework in the night section. I always put boxes next to my assignments so when I complete one I can check it off. I just love checking things off, it means I actually did something that day. 

I have loved using the Erin Condren Planner to help me keep track of assignments and daily tasks. In a way, my planners become my journals for the year because I can look back and see what exactly I did that day. Although this planner is expensive, it is well worth the investment for how it keeps me organize. Plus it is so colorful and bright it makes me smile everyday when I open it. 

I hope you enjoyed this planner review. Monday I will be doing a post on tips for studying so stay tuned for that. I know everyone can use more help on how to study for those college finals and pass your exams. 

Have a great weekend. Happy Friday.

XO Caitlin

How to organize your college binder

Hi guys! I am excited to do this post and I have had this idea for a while now. I am graduating this semester (as if I haven't told you guys enough already) and I have finally found some great systems that work for school organization. Let's get started!

First off my supplies:

I have two binders (both come from Target), class divider sheets, sheet protectors, Important Dates printable, and Class Overview printable. 

Here is the setup:

I store them here in my desk. The orange and pink box is a file folder box which I use to store paperwork, more on that system later. The pink binder is for my Tuesday/Thursday classes and the blue binder is for my Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes. 

Lets take a look inside the blue binder:

First thing you see when its opened:

Class divider sheet. I found them on Pinterest here. I put in the class abbreviation as well as the full title on the divider. 

Next thing you'll see is my divider tabs. I divided each class up into two sections: Notes and Handouts. The last section (the yellow tab) is my To Do List spot. 

My dividers themselves are these awesome plastic ones that have folders so that I can stick papers inside. This works great to store tests, scantrons, returned assignments, etc. I love that because the polka dot binders from Target didn't have an inside pocket like most binders do. 

Behind the divider you find my important dates sheet:

I love this system because I have all of my important dates for the semester right up front and I glance at that page every time I open the binder. That way I don't miss anything and I know what is coming ahead. 

Behind that I have a class overview printable that shows some information on classmates, the teachers email and phone number, etc. I found mine on pinterest. 

Next I have the class syllabus. I put in a sheet protector so that it would last longer.

Every class I have hands out a syllabus and I print mine off so that I can refer to it often throughout the semester. 

My sociology teacher also created a class calendar so I printed that off as well:

Basically anything I would want to look at everyday I printed off and put in a sheet protector. This is useful because then I know what chapter we are on for the day and I can read it ahead of time. 

This same teacher also posts all of the study guides for all three tests. I printed them all of so while she is talking in class and while I am studying the chapter I can highlight the terms that are going to be on the exam. 

I then have notepaper for all the notes I take in class. All of the above is under the first tab Soc 1010 notes. 

The next tab is handouts and currently I don't have anything in that tab. 

The next thing you see is the divider for my next class:

I love all the cute dividers on that site I showed earlier. Seriously the greatest. 

Behind the first tab I have the following:

Class syllabus.

Class calendar. His is set up differently but it's still the same concept. 

Notes. 

That is all behind the notes tab. Then behind the handouts tab I have this:

It's a style guide on how to site information in the SAA style which is the style used by archaeologists. Most teachers use APA or MLA but archaeology has its own unique guide. 

The next section is my to do list tab:

I have a divider that says Assignments to do now, and the next divider is for assignments to do later.

I usually would put assignments that need to get done over the weekend in the to do now spot, and the later one is used for final papers to be handed in at the end of the semester. 

So there you have it folks. My 2014 spring binder set up. My pink binder is the exact same thing only for the other classes. I just used a one inch binder for both days and so far it is working great. I love this system because now all I have in my backpack is the binder for that day and my books as well. It helps me to stay organized and I am loving the sheet protectors. I don't really use sheet protectors all that much but I am finding that they are great to make sure my loose papers don't get all beat up. I am getting an Erin Condren planner this year to use for school and its supposed to ship to me next week. I can't wait for it to get here so I will be even more organized. I hope this was helpful for some of you and I hope that you are having a great first week back at school.

XO

Caitlin

Last Semester

I haven't posted in a while and I only have one excuse. It's a legitimate one all the same: College. The semester started on the sixth and I have just been getting used to the routine of how things are going to go this year. That is usually how I spend my first week of school, making sure everything is order, buying/ordering all of my textbooks, checking on the amount of homework I am going to have and setting up a routine that will work for me. This is probably going to be one of my easiest semesters. I am only taking four classes and only two of those are required for my degree. They all have a really intensive reading load that will keep me busy, but luckily I like my major so I like reading about the topics my professors assign.

I have got a little system set up as far as organization goes which I think I will share with the blog world tomorrow, I just have to make sure my pictures are decent. Right now I am currently waiting on the arrival of my Erin Condren planner that I purchased for the year. It's been crazy trying to remember all of my important dates without having an actual planner in hand. I have the one I used last year but its just to big, its pretty much binder sized and I don't like that because I can't carry it around in my backpack with my other binders and books. I decided on the Erin Condren planner after reading a bunch of reviews and watching reviews on Youtube. I figured it would work the best for me. I will share more how I use it after it comes, hopefully soon. 

Well that's all for now folks. Tune in tomorrow for my post on organizing the semester. 

XO

Caitlin

7 tips to get you through finals week

Everyone knows that navigating through finals week is really stressful. It can be an overwhelming time for everybody. Learning useful tips to help you get through it a little smoother is always appreciated and helpful.

So here are some tips as I enter my last semester of college I have finally figured out how to survive finals. 

1. Back up all your files! I can't stress this is enough. I am a little crazy when it comes to this step. I have had some bad experiences in the past with loosing work before its due and starting completely over. This is never good during the month of December. I back up all my files at least three times. If it is a really important assignment (for example: I have a research paper due in a few weeks worth 100 points) then I back it up four times. 

My number one way to back up files is on a flash drive. Its nice and convenient. I put every assignment from the semester on it, that way I always have it on my person as I go to class each day. The bad part is that the flash drive can be easily lost, this is why I don't rely on it for everything.

The second way I back up files is on my desktop. Of course I save it on my computer but I put the folder on my desktop in case I need to call my husband and have him send me an assignment, its in a place that is easy to find. 

The third way is that I email the assignment to myself that night before, again just in case. I know this seems like a lot of work but honestly its better to be safe then sorry. 

2. Clean your house the last weekend of November. Zack helped me clean and it has been so nice to have everything nice and organized when I get home. I haven't had to stress about a messy bathroom, or vacuuming. Of course I still have to do the dishes and laundry but that is a lot easier to do when everything else is already cleaned. We even cleaned out the fridge before December. Having a clean house helps me to study better so if you live with roommates see if you can all get together and clean up your apartment. Everyone will feel a lot better. 

3. Get a planner! This is so helpful. Get something you like whether its colorful, lots of room to write, etc. Mine comes from Jennifer over at I Heart Organizing. Its great and has a ton of room. At the beginning of the semester I get the syllabus from every class and fill out the calendar. Writing down every assignment helps me see when the due dates are and I can plan ahead. Time management is a huge thing when it comes to finals week and a planner helps to see what your priorities are. 

4. Find a favorite place to study. My favorite place is in my kitchen on the dining table. It is huge (thanks to my in-laws for donating it to us) and has enough room for me to spread out all my paperwork. I always take up a lot of room when I study so its important to have a big table. If you like the library that is great, I have never been able to study at the library but  a lot of people can get more work done there then at home. Wherever it is make sure you feel comfortable enough that you can stay a while and get some long studying hours in. 

5. Take a lot of breaks: Sometimes I use laundry and dishes as an excuse to get up and move around. While the laundry is going I study for an hour then have a 10 minute break to switch the loads. I also like to watch my favorite shows, whether that's catching up on current episodes or watching re-runs of the office. I usually pick the office when I need a laugh, cause it always makes me laugh out loud. Just remember to take breaks. 

6. Eat food during those breaks: make sure and take your food with you to your study area. Its important to keep hydrated and your belly full. 

7. Ask for help. Professors love it when you have questions. Really they do! My professors are always grateful when I ask them about assignments. Whenever I am stuck on a paragraph for a paper I will email it to them and they will help me go over it. Its great to get their feedback and boost my grade. If you can't ask professors ask your classmates. Someone in class might have the same question and already have the answer. Also work on assignments together, its helpful to get someone else's opinion on your work. 

Well those are my tips. Hopefully one of them is helpful to you. Enjoy this time, I know I am because next semester is my last, three more weeks and then I am done. Woo Hoo. So excited. 

XO

Caitlin