Juggling deadlines and commitments at university can be tricky. Getting yourself organised will save you a whole lot of time and stress – something you don’t need! Being a student with probably a million and one things going on at once, it’s easy to lose track of what’s going on, what you need to do and when.
Being organised is easy to master once you put a few small things in place. Here are six top tips for keeping organised at university:
1. Use a diary or academic planner
Using a diary can help you to easily see what is going on in your life and when, so you can consult it whenever you want to remind you of your looming deadlines and when you should be at a lecture, a seminar or studying independently. I find colour-coordinating to be highly effective and useful. For example, you could highlight all of your upcoming exams and deadlines in yellow, your study time in green, and time for going out and socialising in blue.
2. Write To-Do lists
Writing to-do lists help you to have a clear vision of what you want to get done. The idea of creating goals to smash is very rewarding, which can make you want to work (even if you don’t want to), and as a result, keeping you on top of your work load. But don’t forget to set realistic goals you can actually stick to and achieve. There’s no point in trying to set yourself 101 things to do in 3 hours!
3. Compartmentalise
Keeping your work tidy and organised is extremely important. Avoid clutter and losing vital information by buying folders – it can be useful to colour coordinate these for your different modules – allowing you to know where everything is when you need it, saving any unnecessary stress.
4. Manage your time
It is important to schedule consistent study times so you can get your work done effectively. It can be helpful to set aside specific times to study everyday so you get into the mindset of working hard, avoiding any last minute studying or cramming – a big no no. Whilst you are studying, it is important to have breaks to keep your brain feeling refreshed. It’s not good to study for hours on end and it’s not effective either, so make sure you have regular breaks, such as every hour. It can also be beneficial to make bigger tasks into smaller ones – if you have a lot of reading to do, break it up into a few chapters a day.
5. Reward yourself
You should always find time to reward yourself. It’s the key to keeping yourself happy and motivated! Although it’s crucial to say ‘no’ sometimes, even though it’s difficult and you want to go ‘out-out’.
6. Finally, try not to panic if things don’t go to plan!
Getting yourself stressed out and worried over your work is not going to help the situation or solve anything. Take a deep breath, look at where your weak areas are and what you need to do to get a the grade you want and think of a way to tackle it. Go and get advice from a lecturer or your tutor, they’re there to help you.
With love,
Victoria
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Victoria Affleck 