It is officially spring, and that means spring cleaning is among us. All over, people are focused on decluttering and getting more organized in their lives. As college students, it’s pretty easy for us to get into a pattern of mess and chaos, but what if we choose the organized path for ourselves and try to see what all that fuss was about?

“Unf*ck Your Habitat: You’re Better Than Your Mess,” by Rachel Hoffman, is a book about becoming more organized in your daily life. The mantra that is reiterated throughout the book is “away, not down.” Hoffman means, in this case, put away your items when you are done with them, don’t just put them down. Sounds easy enough, but how many times have you left your room a mess in a rush to catch the CyRide to make it to class on time?

One easy way to make your daily life more organized is getting into the habit of putting things away. Hang up the outfits that didn’t make the cut, put away the dishes when the cycle is done and fold and put away the laundry right after it’s done. 

Another thing that is pretty easy and doesn’t take a lot of time is making your bed. Making your bed every morning helps you be more productive quicker, makes your room look cleaner and can help you sleep better by establishing a bedtime routine. One simple step like this can be the start to your more organized life.

Being more organized can benefit you in many ways. According to an article by the Huffington Post, organized people are more goal-oriented, more optimistic and more conscientious. They’re also decision-makers, they let go of perfectionism, they prepare, they ask for help, they “unitask,” they know when they do their best work and they de-stress well. These are just a few positives associated with being a more organized person.

Taking these few easy steps to becoming more organized and having a less cluttered home can help you in your personal, professional and school life. Can you imagine keeping your calendar up to date and not being surprised by that 15-page paper or those three exams you have next week? How nice will it be not having to hunt for your keys every morning?

As college students, we can benefit from a little more organization and less chaos. Yes, there are other ways to be successful in life, but it doesn’t hurt for everything to be back in its place. Get your desk organized so you can start that paper right away, and keep the kitchen clean so it doesn’t distract you from reviewing those biology notes.

Adopting these new habits takes time and is not something that can be done overnight, but the potential benefits have no limits. Since I’ve started making my bed every morning, I’ve noticed that I pick up my room more often and spend less time dedicated to “cleaning” because it’s already done for the most part. Keeping up with my calendar is a must; I’m lost without it.

I, for one, can benefit from being more organized, and I think all of us college students might too. So this spring, let’s get organized. Bring in these new habits; put things away — right away — make that bed, use that planner and help get yourself on track to get those good grades, reduce stress and anxiety and win all of these simple everyday battles that constantly confront us.