Back to school, episode 1

There is so much to think about when a new school year or semester is about to start. You have to pick your books, buy new school furniture, read your syllabuses, get your schedule and find where your classes actually are in the school or on campus, and sometimes buy some new clothes. Even if I'm not going to university this year (I'm pregnant, that's why), I still loooove anything to do with the back-to-school season. I get excited every time I see new notebooks and pen kits on the shelves in stores. I wanted to put everything in one article, but I figured it would be way too long. I want this year to be as smooth as possible. So this is the first episode of the back-to-school series.

1. Get familiar with your surroundings

If it's your first year in a new school or campus, the first thing I would do is try to go for a visit. It is important that you get familiar with your surroundings, as you will save a lot of time on the first day of class and you will be in the classroom in time. You should know where the common areas are, as well as the library, the gym or sports center. If you already have your schedule, you can even try to go find where your classrooms are. If you don't have your schedule, you can still take a little bit of time to go into the hallways. I remember during my first year in high school when everyone was lost and couldn't find their classrooms. It took us two weeks to get used to our surroundings and actually be able to know where we were. The same happened in college, but in university, I thought it would be a good idea to go around for a few walks and see where things are. This helped me tremendously because my campus has multiple buildings. I believe most colleges and universities are like that.

2. Getting your schedule

This was one of the most exciting parts of starting a new school year because this is when you get to know if you have any friends in your classes and actually what you are going to do for the next semester or the next year. You also get to start organizing everything in your planner. If you have a job you can also contact your boss to tell them that your availabilities are going to change very soon. Sometimes in college or university, you can have a random day off during the week, so you have to figure out if you are going to use this day off to work at your job or for school work. School should always come before your job, so I would suggest you only work during the weekend or during the week evenings if you can.

3. Buying a planner

You can sometimes skip this step, depending on your level or school, but buying the right planner for you is crucial to stay on track with everything that is happening during a semester or school year. And for those of you who think "I don't need a planner because I can remember everything", I personally think that you are putting yourself at risk to forget an important deadline, information, or exam. You do you, but I certainly don't recommend that.

Planners come in all sizes, colors, styles, and more, and you need to find one that is going to help you succeed. You have to ask yourself what you need in a planner. Try making a list of everything the ideal planner has for you. Do you just want a 12 months planner with every week being two pages, do you want trackers, a budget or a note-taking section? If you are creative or just can't seem to find anything that suits your needs, try using a bullet journal. A bullet journal is a planner with nothing but blank pages inside. What is great with this type of planner is you can use it for anything you want. You can use it as an all-in-one planner. You create the pages yourself, so you can put calendars, weekly logs, habit trackers, and budget spreads, you can take notes in it or use your journal for braindumps. A bullet journal really has unlimited possibilities. I started using a bullet journal last year and my experience is awesome with it. It really lets you do whatever you want without restriction, which is the point of this journal. I suggest you look it up online or on Youtube. You will find hundreds of videos talking about this topic. You will find out more about how to use a bullet journal and spread ideas. I suggest you check out Claudia Kai, Pick Up Limes for inspiration. I personally really love both of these channels. Despite my love for bullet journaling, this year I bought a regular planner because my needs changed since last year. Planners really are a great tool to stay organized when used correctly.

So there you go! I hope this first part of the series was useful for you in some way. As always, I appreciate any feedback or topic requests. I want everyone to feel safe here and to know that I am giving advice solely based on my experience. As inclusive as I want to be, feel free to disregard what doesn't apply to you. I am not judging anyone, rather I would be happy to learn more about your situation. Are you in high school, college, or university, and what are you studying or planning to study? Do you plan on working during the school year or do you work only during the summer?

As always, treat people with kindness ;)