With schoolwork piling up and finals week approaching sooner and sooner each day, there has never been a better time for students to get organized.

My saving grace for organizing both my weekly plans and school assignments has been keeping a planner. I bought a pretty simple one for around $10 at Walmart, and it has kept me on top of all of my responsibilities and tasks this year. Most planners will include a calendar for each month of the year to keep track of events and important due dates, as well as two-page spreads for each week of the year to note daily tasks and activities. It does take some effort at first to remember to write down every assignment and task you have for the day, but after a while the organization becomes a habit.

Another tip for both organizing and studying is color-coding class notes. A couple highlighters or colored pens can make all the difference when it comes to handwritten notes. Not only can color-coding help organize and separate different lessons or topics, but studies show that adding color to notes on an uninteresting topic helps stimulate the creative parts of the brain, keeping students engaged and more likely to remember information later.

When it comes to organization, staying consistent is key. Putting in the effort to write down homework assignments, use different colors for different class notes, or even label papers before they get shoved into a binder can make all the difference when finals roll around in December.