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Organizational Techniques

Learn the benefits of staying organized, understand what it means to be organized, and discover practical steps to improve your organizational skills. This guide provides tips on prioritizing tasks, reducing clutter, making schedules, breaking down tasks, and rewarding yourself. Increase your efficiency and enjoy a more enjoyable college experience!

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Organizational Techniques

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  1. Organizational Techniques A guide to increasing your efficiency through organizational management

  2. Why Should I Stay Organized? • Clutter and forgetfulness increase stress and have damaging effects on grades • Students who are organized exemplify a more professional approach to their work and are generally more productive and efficient with their time • Being organized is the first step to a more enjoyable college experience!

  3. What Does it Mean to be Organized? • Prioritize tasks • Gain control of your day to day activities • Meet deadlines • Get enough sleep • Follow through with commitments • Avoid cramming • Easily locate necessary items • Know what’s coming next! • What steps can I take to become better organized?

  4. Step 1: Assess • Decide which areas your organizational skills may be lacking • Are you often late to class or meetings? • Do you have a hard time keeping track of homework or handouts? • Do you feel overwhelmed with projects and assignments? • Do you know where your notebooks are? • Do you know where you are supposed to be this afternoon?

  5. Step 2: Separate Materials and Reduce Clutter • Too much clutter can hinder productivity and efficiency • Separate education materials by subject • Use folders and notebooks • Designate one color folder/notebook for each class • Label each accordingly • Save and store graded papers and handouts for later retrieval • Discard any unnecessary materials • Keep a calendar, assignment book, or planner • Use a computerized scheduling tool • Sticky Note • Microsoft Excel • Microsoft Outlook? • Gmail? • Designate certain spaces for certain things • Study spaces should be free from distraction and clutter • Organize documents on your computer: Keep everything in separate folders.

  6. Step 3: Make a Schedule • Make general categorizations of your events and activities • Make a schedule of the things in your life that will not change for an extended period of time • For example: Distinguish between events that are firm on your schedule, (class times, meetings) and things that you can do at your leisure (exercise, work on a project, etc.) • Prioritize assignments and activities in order of importance by developing to-do lists • Plot these items on a schedule. • Try a daily schedule first, then move to weekly, and so on

  7. Step 4: Break Down Tasks • Feeling overwhelmed? Breaking projects down into smaller, more manageable pieces makes them less daunting and easier to accomplish • Instead of reading four chapters in one day, how about reading two per day for two days? • Instead of writing a whole essay in one afternoon, what about writing the outline in one afternoon, and then writing one section per day until complete? • This type of segmentation will take planning, and discipline to stick to the plan! • Don’t procrastinate • Make a plan and use time efficiently to complete those projects • For example: Need to have a book report completed in two weeks? Designate 20-30 minutes each day to read the book. Once completed, designate one day to write an outline for the paper, the next to write the introduction, etc. • Start this process early enough so that you have adequate time to complete scheduled tasks. • PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED!

  8. Step 5: Reward Yourself • Motivation is key to becoming organized and reducing stress • Rewarding yourself after completing certain levels of organization can prove very beneficial • Plan an enjoyable task for when the task is accomplished • Make a conscious effort to not only become organized, but maintain an organized lifestyle • Give it a try and see how your efficiency improves!

  9. This PowerPoint presentation is the property of Northern Michigan University’s Academic and Career Advisement Center. It may not be reproduced without written consent. http://www.nmu.edu/acac

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