How to Organize Yourself Online

By Abigail Julias

Trying to stay organized while juggling coursework between several classes can be frustrating, and sometimes trying to figure out how to keep track of everything is more time-consuming than actually getting the work done. While moving your schedule online can be daunting, I have a few recommendations on where you can start, software-wise.

Google Calendar/Tasks: For Scheduling

There are many online calendar apps available, but sometimes the simplest option is the best: Google Calendar works perfectly for keeping track of classes and deadlines while being linked to your personal or college email. While tasks can be created directly on the calendar, I find that using the dedicated task app/website makes creating and managing deadlines much easier — and created tasks are conveniently automatically uploaded to Google Calendar.

Google Calendar can be found at https://calendar.google.com/, and Google Tasks at https://tasks.google.com/.

Obsidian: For Notetaking

As I like to keep my notes online, a notetaking app was essential for me. I’ve gone through several options trying to find one that feels the best to me, and after several tries (and a lot of wasted time) I’ve settled on Obsidian for my notetaking needs. Obsidian is a notetaking app that can be as simple or as comprehensive as you’d like, with options such as linking notes to each other, a canvas that acts as a digital whiteboard, and thousands of plugins to customize the software to fit your exact needs.

Obsidian can be downloaded on its website: https://obsidian.md/download

Bitwarden: For Managing Passwords

Each semester, I’ve had to create multiple new accounts for the different websites my classes use. While it might be tempting to use the same password for every site for ease of use, if any one of those sites were to get compromised, every other account sharing that password would also be at risk. Using a password manager is an easy way to ensure all your accounts have strong, varied passwords, and the one I’ve been using for a while now and can vouch for is Bitwarden. Bitwarden can be installed as a browser extension or mobile app, and allows easy generation of passwords as well as an autofill so you don’t have to type out your credentials every time you need to log in.

The downloads for Bitwarden can be found on its website: https://bitwarden.com/download/

Other Options

While the apps I listed work well for me, there are many other apps with the same function that may feel better for you. For calendars, Microsoft Outlook comes with a calendar feature alongside easy access to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Google Tasks can be replaced by Todoist (which has integrations with both Google and Outlook’s calendars), and if Obsidian isn’t your style apps such as Notion, Joplin, or Google Keep might work better in the notetaking department.

Choosing a good password manager is especially important, as it holds the key to all your account passwords. Bitwarden is a free manager I trust, but if you’re looking for something just as secure and are willing to pay 1password is a good alternative at up to just $4.99 per month for individuals.