Regardless of how demanding your high school experience was, the first year of university tends to be challenging for a majority of students. However, it does not always have to be that way. In the modern world, we have numerous tools to streamline our university experience. Therefore, due to the tendency for procrastination among students, I have compiled a brief list of tools and tricks that have helped me stay organized in my academic journey.

Back to the Basics: An Agenda 

Look, I know it seems silly. I, myself, had not touched an agenda since my public school days. Except then, they were big, bulky and had covers that many described as  ‘scratchy’ (if you know, you know). However, upon entering university, I soon learned that an agenda would become my best friend. I carried my $4 agenda with me nearly everywhere. In fact, I even found school specific ones, where they start in September of the semester and end in August of the next year. Regardless, it truly helped me track my weekly schedule and to-do lists, which included schoolwork, extracurriculars, and chores. If you’re on a budget or just can’t be bothered to buy a physical agenda, you can always use the reminders or sticky notes apps on your devices as a substitute to write down basic ‘to-do’ lists. 

For the ‘It’ Girls: Notion 

As sad as this is to admit, by the time I got to 3rd year, I had gotten far too lazy to carry an agenda, so I decided to switch to Notion, trying to figure out the hype behind the app. It took me a while to get a hang of it, but once I did, I was hooked. I was able to add course specific pages, a master calendar, a weekly ‘to-do’ list, and so much more. The trick, if you are not trying to spend a ton of time on your layout, is to find a template online and work with that. There are far more tech savvy people in this world and I would rather spend a few hours using their templates to suit my needs than spend days trying to figure it out on my own. 

Google Takes Over the World: Google Calendar 

You may ask why you need to create a Google calendar if Notion has calendar settings. Well, for those who have an iPhone with a Microsoft laptop, it can be tedious having to add the same event details twice. Therefore, I use Google Calendar when adding events onto my iPhone, so then they show up on my laptop as well. While there might be simpler ways to sync everything, this method works well for me. Google Calendar is user-friendly, unlike Notion, and facilitates easy input of events with color-coded organization by courses. Not to mention, its visually appealing interface adds to its appeal. Moreover, creating a shared Google Calendar with friends having diverse schedules helps in coordinating outings and keeping track of everyone's commitments.

Use Your Western Privileges: One Note

Fun fact, Western provides you with a Microsoft account with your UWO email, which means you can utilize all Microsoft resources without paying a dime. OneNote offers the flexibility to create notebooks, organized by course, featuring sections categorized by weeks or topics, each with customizable pages. While I personally use it for typing up notes, others find it valuable for annotating lecture slides using devices with pen support or typing. The advantage of accessibility across multiple devices, including iPads and Windows laptops, sets it apart from apps like GoodNote or Notability, which are exclusive to IOS (though they are also excellent tools).

The Walmart Version of Quizlet: Anki 

Any science student will tell you to try Anki once in your lifetime. Besides the fact that the entire app has the essence of a prison, it isn’t entirely horrible. If you get past the cold exterior, you will come to realize that the app is pretty helpful. It is essentially a flashcard app that helps you memorize large chunks of information through spaced-retention technique. It is perfect for courses that involve a lot of crude memorization, and it uses a time-based approach to learning cards. A card you seem to remember consistently will show up after longer periods of time, but cards you seem to forget will show up more often until you are able to remember them. The trick with this app is to stay consistent, as skipping days can make the flash cards you have due for that day add up. Another tip with this app is using ‘add-ons’, which are like extensions you can add with a simple online code. This enables you to customize your anki however you want. Add-ons I have used in the past are the heat maps to showcase my daily anki usage, and a ‘delay cards’ add-on, where I can delay the cards I have due by a day, just so they don’t pile up. 

If You Have the World’s Shortest Attention Span: Flip Clock 

Ever found yourself immersed in procrastination, only to glance at the clock and realize it's suddenly 11:53 pm, leaving you wondering where the time slipped away? Yeah, same. However, to help me overcome this, a friend in second year introduced me to a clock app that I could download on my iPad to help with productivity. I am pretty sure I laughed out loud, thinking how absurd it was to download a clock app. I wear a watch regularly, have 2 clocks in my room, and there’s a clock on every device I own, why do I need an app for that? Man, was I wrong. I tried it out one day for the fun of it, and I don’t know what magic they put in there, but it actually worked! It's a simple app displaying time, yet the visual countdown of seconds ticking away somehow amplifies the awareness of time passing swiftly. It creates a sense of urgency, similar to the tension of exam countdown clocks on screens that propel you into a motivated work mode. Personally, I turn it into a game, setting goals to complete tasks before a designated time on the clock, and it remarkably enhances my productivity. There's just something about a ticking clock right in front of me that kicks my brain into high gear. 

There’s probably a million other things I have used and tried out, but there are a few basic tools to help you get through your university career. One thing I should say is that just because something worked for me, does not mean it will work for you. That being said, I have learned that without testing the waters, you’ll never know which techniques work best for you.