I, myself find that I am one of two extremes; either extremely organised or procrastinate like nobodies business. There really is no in-between but thankfully I tend to lean towards more of the being extremely organised end of the stick!
Organisation is all about keeping track of your time; prioritising your commitments (whether that be homework for school, uni essays or projects, work etc) and then finding ways to balance that with every day life activities such as socialising with friends, dinners, exercise, parties and so on.
The key word here is balance; too much of one thing and everything else tends to fall of the beaten track.
I was asked via my tumblr how do I remain organised and seeing as the next five weeks of uni are going to be pretty much hell, I thought I would make a post about how I went about prioritising my time! Below is one of the of the tables, in this case week 4, that I drew up for myself to follow over the next five week period. (there are 4 others but up loading on a shit scanner was frustrating me too much!)
Each person is obviously going to be different. I never schedule in weekend times, personal preference of mine as each weekend is always unpredictable so schedule week to week accordingly for weekends.
Your times for commitments will be scheduled differently, when you can or want to do homework/study will be at different times (some people find it more beneficial to wake up early in the morning and do homework and others like myself find it more beneficial to work late at night). It's all honestly up to you! I don't schedule in exercise as its a routine for me to set the alarm extra early and either hit the gym, take the dog down to the park and jog or do strength training. If you don't have an exercise routine, I highly suggest scheduling time as physical activities help improve and stimulate you mentally = a more successful chance of remembering what you are studying. ALSO; giving yourself nights off when possible is always good too.
Few key points about studying:
The key word here is balance; too much of one thing and everything else tends to fall of the beaten track.
I was asked via my tumblr how do I remain organised and seeing as the next five weeks of uni are going to be pretty much hell, I thought I would make a post about how I went about prioritising my time! Below is one of the of the tables, in this case week 4, that I drew up for myself to follow over the next five week period. (there are 4 others but up loading on a shit scanner was frustrating me too much!)
Each person is obviously going to be different. I never schedule in weekend times, personal preference of mine as each weekend is always unpredictable so schedule week to week accordingly for weekends.
Your times for commitments will be scheduled differently, when you can or want to do homework/study will be at different times (some people find it more beneficial to wake up early in the morning and do homework and others like myself find it more beneficial to work late at night). It's all honestly up to you! I don't schedule in exercise as its a routine for me to set the alarm extra early and either hit the gym, take the dog down to the park and jog or do strength training. If you don't have an exercise routine, I highly suggest scheduling time as physical activities help improve and stimulate you mentally = a more successful chance of remembering what you are studying. ALSO; giving yourself nights off when possible is always good too.
Few key points about studying:
- Designate a room in the house where you will be the most productive (My advise is anywhere but your bedroom. Your bedroom should be your down time, where you read or listen to music not a place to stress about exams/projects/essays).
- Organise your work space. A cluttered space = an unproductive time of studying. This is the time to stock up on really awesome organisational stationary such as folders, pen holders, rubbish bin, shelving etc.
- Break it up into manageable blocks; do x amount of studying in a suitable time frame of 30 minute blocks. For example; in the next 30 minutes, I will do 18 math questions. Afterwards take a 10 minute break to make a snack or chill and then get back into it.
- Find some good tunes as background music, nothing too distracting thought! You won't get work done!
- COLOUR CODING! I cannot stress this enough. Colour coding your subjects and high lighting important work to remember has a better chance at being moved from short term memory to long term memory. I was fascinated by that in year 11 psychology class.
- Get family or friends to test you. I found this the best way of truly understanding exactly how much I knew and what areas needed to be worked on.
Eating well:
I think everyone when under stress tends to go off track with their lifestyle but it is really important that you try and not to. Maintaining your lifestyle balance is ultra important and making sure you are eating the right foods to get the best maximum result!
- If your week is going to be hectic; pre-cook your meals over the weekend so that they are in the fridge and ready to go. This will ensure that you a) don't waste money whilst out on food and b) making sure you are eating well.
- Stock up on your favourite fruits; for me this is bananas so I try and always make sure that there are enough bananas for the week to get me through when hunger strikes! Plus its a natural source of energy for those hours where you hit the 'slump'.
- Your lifestyle is all about balance; so don't restrict! It's all about moderation so if you really want that cup cake or that bowl of ice cream, eat the damn stuff with no regrets!
- Don't underestimate the power of a fresh juice! That stuff is absorbed so quickly into your system its ridiculous and really great for that fresh burst of 'zing'.
- Eat breakfast. I'm astounded by the many people I've met who say they don't like breakfast. As many times as you have heard it, I am going to repeat it; it is the most important meal of the day, so don't skip it!
Try and avoid distractions; Facebook/ Twitter/ Tumblr etc when you know you should be studying! If self-discipline is not your style, there are apps available to block certain websites between time frames which are helpful!
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