Staying organised

Trying to stay organised during the semester with your course work, social events and work engagements can sometimes be overwhelming. Life can get messy, sometimes events and deadlines coincide, but as students all we can really do is try and plan around these commitments. If you find it difficult staying organised, here are a few strategies to help you stay on top of all your academic, social and work engagements. 

Keep a diary

It sounds easy enough, but it’s a small commitment in itself. Try keeping it on hand whenever you’re planning events or being given dates so you can make a note of it and avoid commitment clashes or having to later turn down invitations.

The Griffith University Student diaries are perfect for this and you can pick them up on campus on Market Days from the Griffith Sport desk, the Clubs room, or from the Library and IT Service Desk if you haven’t picked one up yet. They’re small and fairly durable (mine is fine after being thrown around in my bag!), and they also contain a lot of really helpful information, including important university dates, university services, and have maps of all five Griffith campuses on the last couple of pages. They also have coupons for some of the Griffith food outlets on campus!

Create a weekly assessment timetable

It’s something I’ve been doing since my first year to help me keep track of what assessments are due for each of my subjects. It’s up to you how you make it, I make mine on MS Word via the table function. Here’s a template if you wanted an idea of what yours could look like: 

To do lists

I’m a big believer in writing things down, though I do understand it’s not for everyone. I find that lists can help you stay on task and remind you of exactly what you need to get done (especially if there’s a lot to do!), it’s also the best feeling when you get to cross items off your to do list once you have completed them!

Electronic Calendars

If you’re not a fan of diaries, lists or the idea of making a weekly assessment timetable, don’t fret! It’s very likely you already own an electronic device that already has a calendar on it. Phones (smart or otherwise!), laptops, tablets and email accounts all have calendar functions that allow you to set up reminders and schedule events, which you can use to enter all your upcoming engagements.

And like I mentioned in my previous post, 4 study tips to help you through the semester, being at university isn’t just about studying. Keeping different aspects of your life (friends, family, work) balanced is key, and staying organised can help with that.

This is not a definitive list by any means, but it might help, I have no doubt there are many other ways to stay organised, think of this list as a starting point. Let us know how you stay organised in the comments below!

 – Erika