Help Me with Organisation
Developing organisation and time management skills are essential for success (and wellbeing!) in school and life. Sometimes, staying on top of things can feel overwhelming.
Step 1: Know what you need to do
First and foremost, you must have a way of keeping a record of all the things you need to do and when you need to do them by. Students often use their College planner or other diary, or their laptop sticky notes. Your tool needs to be something you can access immediately when you’re given a task in class. Ask your friends how they stay on top of things and experiment until you find strategies that work for you.
Step 2: Plan and prioritise
Now that you have a record of what needs to be done, plan out when you will do it. Use a calendar, whiteboard or an app to plan out your time. Be realistic in terms of how much time and energy you really have. Prioritise based on what is urgent, and what is more important.
Helpful planning and organisation apps include:
Step 3: Set goals and break down tasks
Break down big tasks (like write HASS essay) into smaller chunks and write these as a list you can tick off (eg, ‘First, find the essay question. Second, lay out the text I need to read to answer the question. Third, read the text. Fourth, highlight key points in text’ etc). Set SMART goals for big tasks. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. For instance, rather than “Write HASS essay” a SMART goal is: “Write the introductory paragraph for the HASS essay by 6.30pm tonight” – seems more attainable than “write HASS essay” – right?! More on SMART goals (including a template) here.
Awesome apps/sites include:
- EasyPeasy uses AI to create SMART goals for you.
- Tide – breaks up study into manageable intervals and helps you stay focused.
- Goblin tools – uses AI to break down big tasks into smaller chunks.
Step 4: Keep a clutter-free study space
Feeling on top of things is not just about organising your time, but also organising your stuff and your space. Take an afternoon to clear your workspace and set it up as somewhere that is appealing and intuitive as a study space. Note: your study space should not be your bed! It should be somewhere with minimal distractions (phones away or set to airplane mode!) and big enough for you to spread out.
The College also provides short-courses in organisation and study skills through our UpGrade system – check it out!