Mojza Blog
How to Be More Organised as a Student
by Hasan Nawaz | 28 JAN 2024
Organisation is a journey, not a destination. Being organised can be really helpful when you are a student. The purpose of organisational skills is so that you use your time and energy most effectively to achieve your goals. Your goals can be to get those A*s or maybe into your dream university. Either way, being organised is one of the best skills to have under your belt. On the other hand, being unorganised risks misplacing and, consequently, losing our resources and notes. Now you don’t want to be looking for that one important page of notes just a day before the exam, do you?
Starting to organise stuff is a huge hassle, but it benefits you immensely in the long run. You can keep track of everything you’ve compiled and have it right there in your drawer whenever you need it. Here are a few guidelines to become organised!
Organising Your Resources And Workspace
The best way to organise all the resources you have is to compile them subject-wise. Pile up all your books and past papers related to a specific subject separately. Use clear bags to store your tests and notes, so that they are never lost and always at the ready, whenever needed. This will help you save the time and stress of finding a document in a scattered mess!
To avoid any further disorganisation, start by using separate notebooks for every subject. Do not use a single register for multiple subjects, as this can make things more difficult to keep track of. Investing in different notebooks would also make studying efficient, reducing complications while preparing for an exam or a class test.
But this can never be effective if your workspace is the exact opposite of ‘neat and tidy’. Your workspace is a reflection of your state of mind; a messy workspace is highly likely to hinder your performance too. So keep your studying space clean, and make sure your room is also neat. A tidy working space will prevent you from getting flustered and losing your organised folders. Don’t keep your school books lying around in random places; set areas in your racks or keep separate bags to store the notebooks and textbooks you won’t be taking to school. It’s never a good idea to take all your resources with you to school anyway.
Study Apps
Apps like Notion, Study Buddy, Forest, and Google Calendar all help being organised as well. These apps will not only help you use time effectively but also act as virtual to-do lists. You can mark your upcoming tests, due dates for assignments, and other events that might be coming up, keeping track of all the deadlines you have to meet. One can use checklists to check off all the completed tasks too. The sense of satisfaction that comes along when you check off a task will always keep your mind relaxed. We’ve discussed how to use all these apps and many others in our blog here.
Making a Schedule
Prioritising tasks is an important skill to master in everyday life. The tasks you prioritise should be the ones with closer deadlines and the subjects should be the ones you are weak at. Remember, time is money, so it is crucial that you plan your time out and utilise it effectively whilst completing the work that needs the most attention. Make a schedule and plan out which activity you’ll be doing and when. Make a weekly list of tasks that pays attention to all the things you are having trouble with.Using this idea, you’ll be able to submit your tasks on time, maintain a high standard of work performance, and stay on track at all times.
You can plan out what you’ll be doing each day of the week and the timeframe for completing all these tasks. Don’t forget to check out our in-depth blog on “how to make a study schedule – and follow it” for more insights on the process of creating your study schedule.
It is important to remember that you must design your schedule realistically. Add day breaks if you can, so that work does not result in total burn-outs. With exams right around the corner, it’s understandable that most of us have been feeling burnt out, and if you’ve feeling burnt out too, here’s exactly how to counter it.
Multitasking seems like a smart move, right? But don’t list down a lot of different tasks for the same day; focus on one or two tasks each day because your goal is to complete the schedule, not to burn yourself out. Trying to check off several tasks at a time might lead to a burn-out, and the quality of work might take a toll too. Thus, focusing on one thing at a time is ideal, and work performance is not compromised either. Making a schedule based on deadlines will prevent you from cramming everything on the last day and, hence, overworking yourself.
Following a Schedule
Follow this schedule like your life depends on it. If you design it realistically, you’ll be able to complete it too.
Remember that you are doing this to improve your work performance and to keep those stars coming! Treat the schedule like your friend who is lending a hand to keep you on track, not something that is a weight on your shoulder.
Following a schedule not only keeps you organised mentally, but it also gives you a boost of confidence. The belief in oneself only goes up higher once one truly meets one’s own expectations.
Tracking Progress
As a student, you have to keep track of whether your performance has improved or plummeted. A performance tracking sheet is the best way for this. Create a separate sheet for each subject, and record the score of all your tests. Keep side notes for every test on topics you were comparatively weaker at. This would aid in the future during full-syllabus revisions, helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can adapt and work smarter. (Here’s a blog full of insights on how to work smarter, not harder)
To conclude, being organised is an extremely beneficial skill set for students. Not only does it boost your productivity, but it also brings that much-needed order in your hectic academic life that you might have been missing for a while.
Acknowledgements
Author: Hasan Nawaz
Proofreaders: Syed Muhammad Shaheer Ali
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Published: 28 January 2024
Last Updated: 28 January 2024
Written by Hasan Nawaz