Getting organised

Use a diary/planner

Stick to your plan

Reward yourself

SMART Objectives

Use a to-do list

Getting Organised

To succeed in your studies, you will need to be organised. This comes naturally to some, but others have to work on it a bit more. The good news is, there are plenty of tools that exist to help you get organized. Click on the links below for some tips in getting organised:

Use a diary/planner

SOME TIPS

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Whether you use a paper diary or a digital tool, it is important that you keep track of your schedule, your meetings, your commitments and your deadlines in one place.There are many online calendars that can help you get organized (Outlook, Google, etc.), in which you can set reminders. The most important thing is to be consistent. Wherever you note your deadlines, make sure you have access to it when you need it.

• Colour code your entries so that you can see at a glance your schedule

• For online calendars, schedule repeated events in one-go (e.g. your classes or regular meetings) using the automatic functions of your calendar

• If possible, combine personal, school and professional meetings in one place (here’s where the colour code will help).

• You can add reminders to you diary too, not just appointments. Note key dates and set a reminder to appear at a convenient time.

• Check your diary regularly and actively.

For more tips, you can consult the Microsoft 365 page:

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Use a to-do list

SOME TIPS

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Using to-do lists is helpful to give you an overview and keep track of your progress when completing tasks. You can use a paper to-do list, and stick it somewhere you will be able to see it when you need it. Alternatively, you can use online to-do lists, such as the tool integrated into Microsoft Outlook. The advantage of online lists is that you can easily update them, rearrange items on there, set reminders for key deadlines, etc.

• Organise the list by urgency/deadline/completion date, etc.

• Colour code or organize your list so that you can see whether it is for school, home, work, etc.

• Be as precise as possible in the task you have to complete (more on that in SMART Objectives)

• Mark important items so that you can see them easily.

• Check off or cross out completed items as you go.

For more tips, you can consult the Microsoft 365 page:

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Use SMART Objectives

SOME TIPS

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SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely/time-bound. This is a useful guide to setting clear goals and objectives, and ensuring a sense of achievement and progress when you complete them.

Specific:

• Don’t say: revise Macro Economics (this is too vague)
• Say: Revise Lesson 2 of Macro Economics and complete 2 practice exercises.

Measurable:

• Don’t say: spend morning on project (this is not measurable, as you can spend all morning on it without making much progress)
• Say: Complete conclusion of project and write references page.

Achievable:

• Don’t say: revise Quantitative Methods (how do you know when this is ‘achieved’?)
• Say: Revise corrections of 3 QM exercises. Refer back to class notes. Complete additional practice exercises.

Realistic:

• Don’t say: complete Business Law homework (depending on how much you have to do, this may or may not be realistic)
• Say: Spend 20 minutes writing a plan for Business Law homework. Take 10 minute break. Spend 30 minutes writing 1st section of Business Law homework, etc.

Time-bound:

• Don’t say: do Accounting MyLab Exercises (this doesn’t provide you with any time boundaries)
• Say: Complete all MyLab Exercises for Chapter 3 by Sunday at 5pm

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Stick to your plan

SOME TIPS

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Although we may start off with the best of intentions, it is easy to give up on the plans and schedules that we have created. Here you will find some tips to help you stick to your plan.

Be Realistic:

• As we saw with the SMART Objectives, it is important that you are realistic in your plans.
• If you create an unrealistic schedule, you will find it challenging to stick to your plans.
• Once you have realized that you cannot stick to it, it is easy to just ignore it and give up on your plans.
• A realistic schedule will be one that includes breaks, is broken down into smaller chunks of time, provides a sense of achievement as you complete items.
• Keep monitoring and re-evaluating your schedule.

Know your strengths and your limitations:

• Self-awareness is key. If you're passionate about a subject, it is easy to get lost in it and lose track of time. If you really struggle with a subject, it is easy to put off working on it. Both of these lead to inefficiency.
• Recognising these potential issues in advance can help you plan around them.

Recognise your procrastination habits:

• We can all find excuses to put off the tasks we don't want to do.
• Recognise what type of tasks you usually delay doing, and then make a conscious effort to break the habit.
• Recognising our procrastination habits is the first step to changing them.

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Reward your Achievements

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Build time into your schedule and organization for breaks and rewards. SMART Objectives should allow you to know when certain tasks are done, as they are achievable and time-bound. When you have made good progress, completed challenging tasks, avoided procrastinating, etc. reward yourself!Your reward for reaching this page is no more tips!