Keep the Positivity Going

Listening to Maestro from The Holiday (sometimes I just need something to be my soundtrack, you know?)
Bracing myself for the upcoming semester.
    I start every semester so confidently. Yes, I can handle every class, and here are all my books, and sure you can borrow a pen because I have a billion, and oh I'm drinking pumpkin spice tea that I had plenty of time to French press this morning, and let me just jot that down in my planner. Roughly four weeks in, I'm reduced to sweats, half my books were left in the car because I didn't feel like carrying them, I've lost every pen but the one that only sometimes works, and we had a quiz today? When did he tell us that?
    I feel like everyone does this. In fact, I'm sure they do. You start off thinking, "I got this," and somewhere along the way, you lose your grip. For me personally, I get lazy. That's my problem. I love the concept of staying organized, and keeping track of all my notes, and using a planner. I realize its importance, I do. But it only takes one time. One "It's only one assignment, I'll remember it" that leads to "I remembered that one assignment last week, I'll remember the date of that exam and to turn in the notecards and the review guide, and then that rough draft for that other class" which ends with "Why don't I do schoolwork anymore? Surely I have something due tomorrow. How did I oversleep again?"
    I think another part of it is I lose my positivity. When the weather starts looking darker, and cloudier, and windier, and bleaker, so do my classes and my chances at doing well. Last semester was a big bummer for me. I made the Dean's List, but before you go getting excited, I started with five classes, and had to not drop, but withdraw from two. I've never withdrawn from any of my courses before, and this past Spring I withdrew from two. I cannot let that happen again.
    Some of you have already started school. Some of you started a week ago, some this past Friday, some today, and some (like me) tomorrow. But it's still early. Here is my proposition. Let's keep the positivity going. Keep a hold of the organization, and the productivity, and the planning, and the proactivity. Keep it going as long as possible. For some of us, it's our last semester (like my buddy, Hannah - you go girl!), or our last year (like me, I hope - psh, who knows). Go out with a bang. And if you still have a while longer (like I may if I can't fit everything in), don't drop the ball. Think of how great you'll feel throughout the semester without the added stress of "did I have something due today? Where did all my pens go?"
     Now I can't help you keep track of your physical stuff, but I found an app. I'm terrible at using planners, I really am. I try every semester. I buy them, fill them out with everything I know at the beginning of the semester, and then don't look at them again until I'm panicking four minutes before my midterm and I've written nothing else in them. But this one. I used it all last semester and it really saved me. iStudiez Pro. Yes. I paid for it. I downloaded the free version, and loved it so much I paid for the full. You have a calendar, and you can keep track of different classes with different colors, and quizzes and tests and finals and assignments and notifications and reminders and it's wonderful. I wasn't paid to advertise this, or review it or anything. I just found it useful. And maybe you will, too.

How do you keep organized and proactive during the semester? Tell me in the comments!