Elon Technology Blog

Organizing your Organizations: A Senior’s Perspective

Tomorrow’s Organization Fair offers new and returning students the chance to join a few of over 200 organizations Elon has to offer. As a senior, I have done my fair share of overcommitting to organizations and having to balance a hefty schedule. This is how I keep my commitments in order.

Color-Coding is Key

Being a Mac user, one of the greatest features I have at my disposal is my iCal. Much like a Google Calendar, the iCal allows me to make multiple “calendars” for the various events I have (class, work, clubs, meetings, etc.). I also have the option to set how often that event occurs (weekly, every Tuesday/Thursday, etc.). For me, the most important feature is color-coding. Over the last three years, I now associate my classes with royal blue and meetings with magenta, so every time I look at my calendar, I have a clear picture of my day’s activities. It makes it easier for me to keep my responsibilities straight.

I consult my iCal about 10 to 15 times a day, so I tend to remember what I have going on at any given hour. But there are options to set alarms and notifications, so you never forget when something is happening. Also, if you’re more of a smartphone person, iCals and Google Calendars can be synced to your phone’s calendar, so all your devices have the same information. Having a clean, organized calendar at your disposal will not only keep all your obligations in order, but also might show you when you’re overcommitting before it becomes a problem.

Utilizing the E-mail Folders

When you find some organizations that you’re interested in, they will ask you to write down your e-mail, so they can send you more information and let you know when meetings are. If you sign up for a number of organizations, you’re going to get a lot of e-mails. This is why e-mail folders are key.

For every organization I join, I create a new folder on my account. I usually keep e-mails that relate to the coming week in my inbox, but if the information is no longer pressing, I’ll file it away in the correct folder. You don’t need to save every e-mail, but it’s helpful to file away e-mails that may include important dates, instructions or contact information of other members. Having that information on hand could be useful for you in the future.

More: These time management apps can help you be organization and focused this fall.

It is easy to get overwhelmed with the Organization Fair, and all the organizations you want to try. My advice is to get into good organizational habits, so you’ll never miss a meeting or get in over your head with your new commitments.

If you have ideas for staying organization, let us know in the comments below!

 

Image via Flickr user zappowbang / CC BY 2.0

 

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