All throughout high school, I was the kind of individual who classified myself as someone who makes the most out of "organized chaos." It's the be-all, end-all of oxymorons, and honestly, it's a very risky way to function. Starting college was the kick in the pants I needed to get my organizational skills in order. Here are some helpful strategies I've implemented into my academic life that should help you too!
1. Keep lists
Checklist
Pixabay
As one of the recent Post-It note campaigns has been religiously reminding us, "you're more likely to do something if you write it down."
I know how obvious it sounds, but honestly, how often do we really do it and follow through? The best part about making lists comes with their versatility. You can make a checklist for an assignment and break it up into parts that need to be completed in order for the whole to be completed, or you can make them more general and just say, "do online homework." Another benefit to them is the fact that no matter where we are we can write a list. You can jot it down on a piece of paper, set up a list inside your cell phone, or if you've got no other choice, write it down on your wrist.
Furthermore, there's just this unexplainable satisfaction that comes with checking off a box. It's similar to the euphoric experience of finishing a research paper and FINALLY being able to close down all the tabs.
2. Create daily tasks
Daily agenda
Pixabay
While the concept of list making is practical and straightforward, it might be too intimidating or vice versa not precise enough for some people or for some assignments. Breaking down things you have to do into day-by-day tasks is a surefire way to make up for what an ordinary list lacks.
This strategy is definitely one of the most lucrative, but I find it to be the one that helps keep me the most accountable. It requires you to sit down and divvy up your work, and honestly, sometimes dividing it up evenly isn't the most efficient way of doing it. Especially if you're the kind of person who gets sidetracked easily. I find that the best way to do this strategy is to find a time that you're regularly free and set an alarm on your phone. This way you don't have to worry about reminding yourself.
When it comes to the tasks themselves, make sure that you're making the most out of what you want to get done that day. Don't devote an entire day to just brainstorming, especially if you've only got a week, or even worse, a weekend to get it done. It's good to be realistic about what you can do in a day, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't set reasonable standards for yourself. If you've got plenty of time to devote a day to something simple like brainstorming or reviewing your work, then make sure you're actually putting in an effort. It's way too easy to just skim through a paper or powerpoint, or worse yet, just wing it. It's lazy and often leads to simple, easily overlooked mistakes that can cost you.
3. Have people help keep you accountable
Students collaborating.
Pixabay
Truth be told, I'm not a social butterfly. Throughout high school, I flat out told peers to let me do projects all on my own, and while nine times out of ten it resulted in a good grade, it made it much harder for me to allow others creative control in my college projects. After having taken two public speaking classes, both with a heavy emphasis on group presentations, I've managed to find a lot of good in group work. Having others to help keep you on track and responsible for your work is just one of the benefits.
In group work, people often say that they've got their portion under control, but really how do we really have all of our ducks in a row? I don't think we should be ashamed or embarrassed about not having as much done as our peers. Some people have kids, others have work, while the rest may just be forgetful. After a long, busy day having a classmate ring you up asking if you've got your part done can be what prevents you from showing up to class the next day with little to nothing done.
Additionally, if you want to make the most out of the luxurious dorm life, why not set up an arrangement like this with your roommate? You're going to see each other often, you're going to talk, and you might even share some of the same classes. Personally, I didn't have that much in common with my roommate, but just talking about and helping her out with managing assignments was one way we were able to break the ice. It helped establish trust, too, which given the ridiculously small space we had to share, went a long way.
4. Write down important dates
Man checking watch
Pixabay
Write down peer review dates. Write down when rough drafts are due. Write down when you've planned to meet up with your partners. Write down the due date. Write down the due date. WRITE DOWN THE DUE DATE.
Even if you can hope online or find the due date on the assignment's rubric, you have nothing to lose from writing it down a second time. It's such a simple thing and yet in every class, I'm in there are a handful of people who can't be bothered. Worse case? You've wasted three seconds writing something down. Looking at a calendar and actually seeing how many days you have to complete a project can completely change your perception of time. Saying I've got a week to write this paper versus seeing that week on a calendar is a big difference.
Honestly, please, write it down, this way even if you do end up procrastinating you know when you're going to pull an all-nighter.
Even once we're all out of school and into the workforce or homemaking, we're still going to have to practice our time management, so it's important to start working on it ASAP. I hope that these strategies find you well and manage to help you out in some way or another.
