Organizational Techniques

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!

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