My Top 5 Tips for Being Organised at Uni
My first year of uni has allowed me to learn many lessons. From making sure you wear shoes in your halls kitchen after there's been pres to remembering to shut your curtains at night when you get changed because your one way window doesn't work at night. One of the biggest takeaways I had from my first year at uni is be organised. As someone who really wants to achieve a lot academically, making sure that I was on top of coursework and revision was so important, and actually being organised elsewhere in your life as well can seriously help. I found that thinking ahead and being organised allowed me to save money and time when travelling home and to see my boyfriend, as well making the most of different opportunities. I want to pass on some of my tips for being organised that hopefully will help you out in the future.
1. Get a Diary
In the age of smartphones, this tip might seem a little redundant. Admittedly, my phone does absolutely everything a diary does and more. However, a diary will never run out of battery, and provides a more visual reflection of a week. I find it helps me to plan my free time, and just suits me better as a person. It also means I can look ahead really easily and adapt my time to suit the deadlines that I have coming up. The only real downside of a diary is that if you forget to bring it with you somewhere, you've got no record of whats going on.
2. Be Proactive in Group Projects
This is one of the biggest lessons that I learnt during my first year. I had a number of collaborative projects which required us meeting, planning and producing a project. Being proactive in these projects by going ahead and booking study rooms, acting upon what the majority has said and monitoring progress will make such a difference to these projects. It also means that if someone is not pulling their weight in the way you wish, its easy to provide evidence to lecturers that these people had a place and time to attend and they haven't. It also means that you spend less time worrying about when and where your next meeting will be and more time on the project itself equalling better results.
3. Bring a Screwdriver
This is a far less academic tip, however you'd be surprised the number of times a screwdriver would have come in handy throughout my first and the start of my second year at uni. Admittedly, in my first year I was in halls so any problems with my room/the kitchen should have been resolved by the maintenance team. However, when a cupboard door comes loose in the kitchen and you need to take it down or face being knocked out every time you read for a pot noodle, having a screwdriver is pretty important. I also found it useful when moving into my second year student house, and building furniture. You never know when an IKEA flat-pack is going to appear.
4. Take the time to find a Society
This is something I didn't do in my first year, and now I'm spending a fair bit of time trying out societies in my second year when I could be settled in. Now, its not the end of the world if you don't try to find a society but it may make your life that bit easier. Similarly, if you're undertaking any sort of internship throughout your time at university, being a part of a society, and especially a committee, will make that application even more attractive. They are also a fab way to make friends, and branch out your reach in the university. Try it out!
5. Learn how to file away documents properly
Now this might sound a little self-explanatory, but until you've faced a deadline where you cannot find for the life of you where you put an important piece of work, you can't appreciate how important this tip is.
Making sure that your files on your laptop are all stored correctly, in corresponding folders will make your life so much easier, especially around stressful times such as assignment deadlines and exams. It'll also make a difference during the job hunting process, if you have one file dedicated to this, with different applications each having a sub-folder so you can both track what files you've submitted for each application but also which applications you have actually submitted.
Similarly, making sure you have a place to store physical documents, will hopefully reduce any stressful situations on a similar variety. Nothing more awkward than showing up somewhere without the required document because you couldn't find it.
So those are my 5 tips for being more organised at Uni but actually, I think they are pretty transferable throughout life! What do you think?
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1. Get a Diary
In the age of smartphones, this tip might seem a little redundant. Admittedly, my phone does absolutely everything a diary does and more. However, a diary will never run out of battery, and provides a more visual reflection of a week. I find it helps me to plan my free time, and just suits me better as a person. It also means I can look ahead really easily and adapt my time to suit the deadlines that I have coming up. The only real downside of a diary is that if you forget to bring it with you somewhere, you've got no record of whats going on.
2. Be Proactive in Group Projects
This is one of the biggest lessons that I learnt during my first year. I had a number of collaborative projects which required us meeting, planning and producing a project. Being proactive in these projects by going ahead and booking study rooms, acting upon what the majority has said and monitoring progress will make such a difference to these projects. It also means that if someone is not pulling their weight in the way you wish, its easy to provide evidence to lecturers that these people had a place and time to attend and they haven't. It also means that you spend less time worrying about when and where your next meeting will be and more time on the project itself equalling better results.
3. Bring a Screwdriver
This is a far less academic tip, however you'd be surprised the number of times a screwdriver would have come in handy throughout my first and the start of my second year at uni. Admittedly, in my first year I was in halls so any problems with my room/the kitchen should have been resolved by the maintenance team. However, when a cupboard door comes loose in the kitchen and you need to take it down or face being knocked out every time you read for a pot noodle, having a screwdriver is pretty important. I also found it useful when moving into my second year student house, and building furniture. You never know when an IKEA flat-pack is going to appear.
4. Take the time to find a Society
This is something I didn't do in my first year, and now I'm spending a fair bit of time trying out societies in my second year when I could be settled in. Now, its not the end of the world if you don't try to find a society but it may make your life that bit easier. Similarly, if you're undertaking any sort of internship throughout your time at university, being a part of a society, and especially a committee, will make that application even more attractive. They are also a fab way to make friends, and branch out your reach in the university. Try it out!
5. Learn how to file away documents properly
Now this might sound a little self-explanatory, but until you've faced a deadline where you cannot find for the life of you where you put an important piece of work, you can't appreciate how important this tip is.
Making sure that your files on your laptop are all stored correctly, in corresponding folders will make your life so much easier, especially around stressful times such as assignment deadlines and exams. It'll also make a difference during the job hunting process, if you have one file dedicated to this, with different applications each having a sub-folder so you can both track what files you've submitted for each application but also which applications you have actually submitted.
Similarly, making sure you have a place to store physical documents, will hopefully reduce any stressful situations on a similar variety. Nothing more awkward than showing up somewhere without the required document because you couldn't find it.
So those are my 5 tips for being more organised at Uni but actually, I think they are pretty transferable throughout life! What do you think?
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