How I Actually Get Ready for the Semester

How I Actually Get Ready for the Semester Breaks are awesome. I don’t take having time to relax, travel, and spend time with family and friends lightly. Especially as I’ve gotten older, it becomes harder to do any of those three things. Again: Breaks are awesome. One other reason why I love breaksâ€"and the reason for this postâ€"is the time it provides to prepare and plan for an upcoming semester. This is no small task. Therefore, I thought I’d focus on what I actually do before each semester. These are not resolutions, they’re actionable steps toward planning for a successful semester. And so far, they’ve worked pretty well. Work on the Calendar One of the first things I do to prepare for the semester is build my google calendar. All I do is put in all of my classes and big events that are already planned. This takes about 30 minutes, and simply having a basic schedule (with notifications!) saves me a lot of stress throughout the semester. One less thing to worry about. Set Goals I picked this one up from Warren Buffett. Each semester I create a list of 15 to 25 goals I want to achieve over the coming months. Then, I narrow the list down to my top 5 goals, cross the rest off, and leave my 5 goals in a note on my phone. This forces me to think on what’s ahead, prioritize, and simplify what I want to accomplish. This has allowed me to make academic and professional decisions more easily through knowing what my overarching objectives are for a given semester. Organize for Classes I get all of my folders and notebooks ready to go and labeled at the start of each semester. Easy enough, but this can be a nuisance if its not taken care of before I arrive to campus or during syllabus week. Laundry Clean clothes are happy clothes. Take advantage of the nice laundry machine at home that doesn’t need quarters or require a long wait to use. Hope this helps! Talk soon. Steven Class of 2019 I’m from New Canaan, Connecticut. I'm studying Management Entrepreneurship in the Gies College of Business and Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.