End-of-November crunch for Class of ‘09

With the holidays officially here, first semester exams looming in the distance, and a reversion back to Standard Time that came like a swift kick in the pants for many of us, you may want to pause this weekend and take stock of your workspace.

Yes, I want you to take stock of your desk, your book bag, and your college applications.

Here are a few ideas that shouldn’t take you hours to help you get organized and survive until winter break:

1. Clean up your desk. This is great task to do before Thanksgiving so you can actually relax on the holiday knowing you’ve got everything under control. Parades, football, and turkey are 100% more relaxing when you know that your workstation doesn’t look like Mount Vesuvius. The fundamentals here are:

Contain the pens. Put them in a jar, in a drawer, anywhere. Toss the dead ones.

Sort the loose paper, taking the time to clip things in your notebook and tossing last year’s crumbled notes about the French Revolution.

Remove stuff that’s not work related, like DVD’s, magazines, or your mouth guard.

Wipe up the surface. It’ll be clean and smell good, which may make the grind a little easier when it’s time to get back to work.

2. Treat your book bag just as you would your desk.

Toss the crumpled wrappers and ancient homework assignments. If you’re carrying around one of those inch-thick stacks of loose work that you keep slammed between your textbooks, you should put each sheet it its appropriate binder. Who knows what you may find in there.

Empty the front pocket of old tissues, dead pens, and free-floating half-unwrapped gum.

Put your assignment book in your bag and keep it there.

3. Create a checklist calendar so that you’re sure to complete your applications on time.

Take stock of all your applications and create a list of all the essays, recommendations, resumes, and other materials you may be sending. Check off of those materials you’ve already created/completed.

Establish deadlines for each task you have left. This will keep you from getting overwhelmed; instead you can worry about the single task you’ll complete in the days ahead. Choose deadlines that will have you completed before the December holidays, if at all possible. Don’t be the kid sitting up on New Year’s Eve working on app’s. Every year I know one who does; don’t let it be you.