8 useful organisational skills every student should know
How to keep on top of deadlines when you've got a million things due
Feeling like you're about to drown in deadlines can totally hinder the amount of work you do, because you spend so much time stressing about how to make time for all your commitments that you actually, well, forget to do them.
Not anymore, though! Use these eight useful organisational skills from Pinterest to get your deadlines in diaries, your revision under control, and your studying on top of. There might even be some time for Netflix..!
Colour code your commitments
When looking at your weekly planner (side note: get a weekly planner!), colour code your social, work and other commitments in different colours, so you can assess the balance of where you're spending your time.
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Look ahead to the things you want to achieve
Set yourself long and short term goals so you can keep track of your achievements and continue making small moves towards big targets. And when you achieve them? Celebrate!
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Prioritise your to-do list
Don't feel overwhelmed by the mountain of things on your to-do list: prioritise them in order of things that have to be done right down to things that you'd like to get done, and tick them off accordingly.
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Be aware of important events way before they happen
As soon as you know when exams and deadlines are or when time-limits end, mark them in your future calendars so you're constantly aware of when they are, and how long you've got to prepare.
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Schedule things in advance
The best way to avoid cramming work in before a deadline is to give yourself sufficient time ahead of the hand-in date, which is often best achieved by spreading work across a number of days.
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Be flexible with your commitments
It's annoying, but during busy revision/uni periods, work has to take priority over socialising (providing you're giving yourself enough time off to chill and give your brain a break), so be flexible with extra commitments and reschedule them if extra studying comes up.
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Keep a track of how many hours you've studied each subject
Create a grid with hours on one axis, and your subjects on the other, so you can keep an eye on whether you're spending equal time on each subject, and if you're concentrating on your weakest subject enough.
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Make an essay checklist
By finishing your essays to the highest standard possible, you won't have to go back and make as many changes to them later down the line. Do this by creating a plan of everything you have to include before you start writing, and tick them off as you go.
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Dusty Baxter-Wright is an award-winning journalist and the Entertainment and Lifestyle Director at Cosmopolitan, having previously worked at Sugarscape. She was named one of PPA’s 30 Under 30 for her work covering pop culture, careers, interiors and travel, and oversees the site’s Entertainment and Lifestyle strategy across print, digital and video. As a journalist for the best part of a decade, she has interviewed everyone from Louis Theroux and Channing Tatum to Margot Robbie and Ncuti Gatwa, while she has also spoken on Times Radio and BBC Radio. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram here.
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