The Ultimate Guide to Getting Yourself Organised

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Yourself Organised Juggling deadlines, lectures, visits home and nights out can be tricky for any student, which is why trying to be as organised as possible is key to ensuring that all your deadlines are met. Even if you are the most unorganised person on the planet, it has never been easier to try and become a more organised person. Plus, with smart phones slowly taking over our daily lives, there are now an abundance of apps that can help you with this. Below we have compiled a list of our favourites, along with other tips for getting yourself prepared for upcoming deadlines. Desk area In terms of getting organised for writing your assignments, the first place to start is your desk or workspace. A comfy chair, a clock and a whiteboard are all great accompaniments for an efficient working place. You can also store some brain food snacks like nuts at your desk, to avoid leaving your desk when you get hungry, and getting distracted. Get a planner If you prefer to put pen to paper, getting a planner could be a great way for you to stay organised. A good planner will have separate sections for a calendar, notes, birthdays, and a smaller list of dates where you could write your deadlines or other important University commitments down. Take regular breaks Although this may seem counter-productive, it really isn’t. Taking regular breaks will be vital when deadlines are getting on top of you, and you feel like you need some rest. Allocate a day to chill, and don’t feel guilty for doing so! Utilise mobile apps As we mentioned previously, mobile apps can be a saviour when it comes to organisation. Below are a few of our favourites. Evernote This app is great for storing research articles, images and any other notes you need to make. You can add tags to items so they are flagged and you can find them quickly. You can also use this on your mobile and desktop. Google Keep If you need to take notes on the go, or need to write something down randomly and quickly, Google Keep app is a must. It will be saved in a matter of seconds for you to access later. You can access it through your Gmail account, and you can add reminders to the notes too, so you don’t forget anything. Google Calendar Another App that can be linked through your Gmail account, google calendar is an amazing app that is visually pleasing, and helps you to easily keep track of any events, deadlines and social plans you may have. Simply add it to the calendar, you can even colour code different categories to help you visually see what you’ve got planned each day, week or month. Although these are some great tips for getting (and staying) organised, different things work for different people. Your first semester at University is the perfect opportunity to try different methods to see what works best for you – and hopefully will help you keep up certain habits to keep you on track for the rest of the academic year!