How To Be More Organised

Something that I take pride in is how organised I am. I can count on one hand all the times I've forgotten to take something to uni, not been up to date on readings or lectures or not known what was expected of me. Organisation does take effort - you can't just will planners and lists into existence (not yet, anyway). I recently sat down and made a note of my organisational habits that I think help me the most so that they can hopefully help you out, too!

Make time to plan - One of the things that I do is sit down at the start of each semester of uni and write down everything I will need to do over the following few months. This includes making a list of all my readings in a place I can easily find it, noting down all the dates of my assessments and making folders for all my resources for each unit. This can be a tedious and time consuming process, but I know that it will help me further down the line, so taking some time to get it out of the way is definitely worth it. If you're not a uni student, you can do a similar thing at the beginning of the school term, or even at the beginning of every month, if you so desire.

Keep your calendar up to date - I make regular use of the calendar on my Mac because it's so easy to scroll through and you can put any number of events on any given day. As I said above, I put all my assessment due dates and times in my calendar at the start of semester, but new things inevitably crop up after doing this. Make an effort to add in anything new as soon as you can after finding out about it, so it's still fresh in your memory - whether it be a new piece of work or a social event. That way, flipping forward a few weeks should give you a realistic idea about your workload and how to go about getting things done and when.

Make constant to-do lists - I keep two different checklists running all the time (digitally, so I never run out of paper). One of them contains all the upcoming things I have to get done, while the other serves as a daily list. I jot down things as simple as washing my hair, just so I know I've not missed out on anything and I have an idea of how much I have to do that day. I even include things like the book I'm reading or show I'm watching, which sounds a little crazy, but it serves as a reminder to take some time out and do the things that I like.

Try a day planner - Whenever my life gets a little messy and stressful, I take to writing out daily planners. The night before, I write out the times of the day and the things I want to get done, allocating blocks of time to each thing as I go. You don't have to include everything, but I find that pinpointing a specific time to do something helps me to buckle down and start doing it. Sticking with daily planners can sometimes feel a bit strict and become stressful in themselves, so remember to just do what you feel comfortable with!

Be flexible - Sometimes you add too many things to your to-do list to get done in one day, or you feel too tired or ill to continue and you just want to go to bed. Don't be too hard on yourself when this does happen. That's just life! The longer you keep up the organisation, the less things you'll have left till the last minute, so pushing a few items into the next day shouldn't be an issue. Also remember to take some time out or reward yourself when you get through a big day. Being organised doesn't mean constantly being busy trying to shuffle things into order, it's mostly just about a clear state of mind and knowing you're on top of things.

I hope that you found these few tips helpful in some way. Feel free to let me know in the comments!

xx

Back to Uni: Tips from a Second Year

There's a week and a half left until I go back to uni here in Australia, and everyone is starting to prep themselves for another semester. Whether you're starting your first year, your third, or are in the middle of classes somewhere else in the world, here are some pointers that I learnt in my first year that I wish I'd known sooner. Hopefully they'll help you out, too!

Early is Better

I don't mean getting to campus hours before class, just that sensibly planning how long things are going to take is the best thing you can do. Public transport can be annoyingly inconvenient, and you can end up with a choice of either getting to campus over half an hour early or having less that five minutes to leg it to your room. Even just leaving five minutes earlier for the bus can be the difference between running up the street and ending up sweaty and uncomfortable and taking a relaxing stroll. If you drive to uni, leave some extra time in case the traffic is bad. While you're waiting for class you can grab a coffee, pop into the shops, find your way to your room or quickly revise before a tute. Choosing to be just a little early can be one way to reduce stress really easily.

Digital is Convenient

Sometimes you'll be lucky enough to find your textbooks in ebook format (which is cheaper anyway so yay!), which means that you can keep them all in one place and you don't have to carry them around when you need them. I also think taking notes on your laptop is much more convenient, unless you're the type of person that is really into handwriting their notes. I use Microsoft OneNote (which you can find for free), and it keeps my notes organised and easy to find. A word of advice: don't just type up everything the lecturer says or copy from the textbook, quickly summarise in your head beforehand. It'll help you get a better grasp on the content.

Always Have a Pen

Even if you're taking all your notes digitally, a pen is always necessary for signing attendance and any work you need to do by hand. Also keep an extra in case you run out of ink or if your neighbour needs a loan. It can be a nice and easy conversation starter if you want it to be!

Don't Procrastinate (Seriously. Don't.)

I know you've probably heard this from everyone, but it's still a really important piece of advice. Of course, expecting you to have your assessments done weeks before they're due is ridiculous (seriously who actually does that?). Get yourself into the habit of starting small as soon as you possibly can. Even just doing some research and taking small notes for half an hour is a good way to start. It's much easier to keep the ball rolling if you've given it a little push at the beginning. And trust me, you don't want to be watching the clock and wondering if you can finish the last 500 words and the reference list in under an hour. I've been there. It's awful. Save yourself the unnecessary pain.

Do Your Readings

You'll always end up with a lot of people that just can't be bothered. Doing your assigned readings can seem really boring and a little pointless, but depending on how your unit is structured, it can provide you with some really useful background info or consolidate what you're covering in lectures. Either way, it can only benefit you. (And trust me, tutors like it when you do the readings.)

Start Studying Early

After your first week, get into the habit of making notes and revising what you've learnt for each unit. It may seem tedious and unnecessary to start so early, but it will significantly decrease the amount of exam study you have to do at the end of semester. All you have to do is keep looking over the notes you made previously! You'll be patting yourself on the back for not leaving a massive workload and having to hunch over books for hours and hours.

Give Yourself a Break

Look for the gaps in your timetable. Sometimes just having an hour between classes is all you need. If you have the option of taking days off, do it! If not, you don't have to attend every lecture if they're not compulsory. If I have early morning lectures or if a 1-hour lecture is all I have on a particular day, I don't physically go and I listen to them online later instead. If you have the option to do this and it sounds nice to you, I seriously recommend you do it. It might take a little more self-motivation to listen to a lecture when you're at home lounging around, but it ends up being less work.

Wear Comfortable Shoes

If your main means of getting to uni is walking, like me, then please, for the love of God, wear comfy shoes. Flats, boots, sneakers, sandals, whatever. Just don't wear anything that rubs uncomfortably because it's only bad news. Blisters are no help to anyone. Avoid them at all costs. Even if that means wearing the less-attractive shoe.

Always Carry an Umbrella

You never quite know when it's going to rain. It can be sunny when you leave in the morning and be pouring down in the afternoon. Campuses are big places and they don't always have a massive amount of undercover area, so you'll be thanking yourself for having a little umbrella tucked in your bag when you have to walk across the open carpark or down the uncovered main walk. If you're someone who doesn't mind getting rained on, then I envy you. I wish I had your level of chill.

Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself

So, you didn't get a distinction on your essay? It's okay! Remind yourself that anything over a pass is enough, and make sure you believe it. BUT don't stop reaching for those high marks! Just don't get stressed if you don't quite make them. Odds are, you have a chance to even it out and learn to work harder for the next assessment or the final exam. It'll all be okay in the end if you keep trying.

Hopefully you took something from this that you didn't already know! If you're about to start uni for the first time, then good luck! I'm sure you'll love it in some way.

xx