As the new semester settles in and I slowly grow accustomed to typing “2016” into my lecture notes, there’s one thing that keeps bothering me every time I go home to study: the debris of semesters past. As much as I try and keep my life (and my room) organized, the deadly combination of school, work and extracurriculars seems to be hell bent on producing the opposite result. This year, however, I’m determined not to let these devilish forces win the battle, and I’ve decided to launch a personal crusade against all the things that clutter up my life.

What sparked this crusade, you may ask? As a rather jet lagged and disgruntled me returned home from a trip to Korea a week ago, my mom (as moms tend to do) walked into my room and declared that no, I could no longer live amidst my half-unpacked suitcases, dirty socks and lecture notes from last semester. I had to get a grip. She, in turn, was inspired by her newest read: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, by Marie Kondo. In the book, Kondo’s method on tidying your home seems to revolve around one major question: “Does this bring me joy?” If yes, you keep it. If no, off it goes.

As students, it’s easy to get let even the smallest thing accumulate until it drags you down and clutters up your life. With limited time and resources, it’s all the more crucial that students get rid of absolutely anything they don’t need. While the honeymoon phase of commitment to our new years resolutions is still upon us, allow me to share my tips for tidying up your academic life.

1. Think of it as curating. No matter how much you might prefer it, your life is not a PAX wardrobe system at Ikea, where you can somehow create space for all of your boots and ties and dresses and shirt. You have a limited amount of time in each and every day, and with such limitations, it’s important that you only include what is most crucial to you. Imagine your upcoming semester (or even your life!) as a gallery space: would you rather fill it up with meaningless things that don’t mean anything to you, or thoughtful works that represent your interests, background, and talents? I’m hoping you choose the latter. Remember: your job is to curate what will best represent and serve you.
2. Take stock of everything you do by category. In Marie Kondo’s method, she advises that tidyers organize everything by category, not by room: you would, for instance, take stock of all your books instead of everything in your bedroom. Do the same with your academics: take stock of all your extracurriculars, all your classes, and all your other commitments by category. Still with me? Good. Now, take a look at everything on that list and ask yourself what brings you joy. When I did this, I found that I was involved in several groups that really didn’t interest me, but were still taking up time I could have spent on schoolwork, other groups, or sleep. The key here is quality over quantity. Get rid of what doesn’t interest you or contribute to you as a person.
3. Make lists. Even when I got rid of initiatives/groups I didn’t genuinely enjoy, I still had a lot on my plate. And chances are, most students will have many things they need to get done. My key here is to list everything, and have a clear idea of what I need to do when. I’m a firm believer in the agenda, and have previously praised to-do list apps (my favourite remains Wunderlist) as means of keeping organized. I often find myself wasting so much time in a day trying to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing/what to do next, and having a list of what needs to get done (Wunderlist lets me sort by category, and then places my high-priority tasks in their own list) helps me avoid wasting this time. Having a list means having a plan, and nothing says success like knowing exactly how and when you’ll achieve it.
4. Make edits as needed. Most people get the organizing (sorry, curating!) bug around the New Year (“new year, new me”), and this is where we often go wrong. While Kondo points out that someone who tidies well will never have to do it again, I’ll point out that student life is ever changing. And with changing life comes changing priorities. Try to set aside some time at least once a week (I prefer Sunday nights) to set things up for the week, and see if you need to make any changes to your usual routine (for example, if you’re travelling). Doing so allows you to factor in these little unknowns before they become problems.

It all comes down to being mindful of how much time you have, and what is the best way to spend your time. Taking some time to keep track of your commitments and get rid of things that you no longer need will clear up more time for doing a better job at what you’d rather focus your energy on, in addition to leaving more time for discovering new and exiting opportunities! So, what are you waiting for? Get organizing!