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I feel like this post has been a long time coming. Being at university has meant that I’ve had to be organised and productive. A lot of studying is self-motivated, which does require a fair amount of organisation! Also, when it comes to studying for exams, you need to be productive. You don’t want to waste your time doing things that won’t pay off! Now, I’m going to get straight into it!
Have a memo board – so important to stay organised!
This sounds like an investment but it can be done without spending hardly anything! I have a sheet of blank paper on my bedroom wall at university. At the top, I wrote memos and I just have post-it notes with my deadlines and exam dates on.
This is very useful to always keep on top of deadlines and exam dates so nothing suddenly springs up on you. For me, I like to start assignments early in hope that once I’ve finished, I have time to go over and edit my work before I submit it. I know that this routine isn’t for everyone but I highly recommend it. It keeps you so organised and you don’t have to worry about looming deadlines.
Keep a bullet journal!
This is a big one for me! I have a whole lot of bullet journal posts. If you’re wanting to start a bullet journal then I have a whole post here.
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while then you’d know how useful I find these! For me, it’s so useful to make to-do lists and I’ve been using them since a-level to help me keep on track with studying. I prefer a bullet journal over a regular diary as it’s much more flexible and personal. I like to keep mood and dream trackers which I wouldn’t be able to do with a regular diary.
This keeps me so organised as I can plan events that are coming up. I can also keep track of the work I’ve done so I’m not going over what I already have. This therefore also keeps me productive.
The notebook I use is the Leuchttrum 1917, it’s the perfect size and has a ribbon to keep you up to date! I like the simplicity of the design. I feel like it’s very sleek. You can purchase your own Leuchttrum by clicking the link above.
Have drinks around when you work
So many people say it, but you really do work better when you’re hydrated! Personally, I like 2 drinks on my desk while I’m working. Usually, a hot drink and a cold drink. I usually stick for coffee and water but make sure you’re always in supply of a drink. Nothing annoys me more than needing to get a drink halfway through revising.
Not only does it distract you but it in turn, lessens your productivity. My word of advice for this one is to have a larger water bottle close by. If not, at least have one that you won’t empty in your study time slots. For example, I study for half an hour periods so I’d choose a bottle that I won’t fully drink in half an hour. Then, in my break, I can refill it so I’m staying productive in my work slots.
Have a study app
This may say study app but you can use it for literally anything! I have the app Flipd. The app basically has a timer that stops if you leave the app. I have found this so useful when studying as it keeps me off my phone and has made me more productive during studying.
As well as studying, this can also be useful for blogging if you tend to get distracted by your phone. You don’t even need it to be productive, you can just use it to stay off your phone a little each day.
My reasoning for choosing Flipd was that it was free. Many people choose the app Forest as that one plants a tree for each certain amount that you stay off your phone. This one is probably favoured by a few as it gives you an initiative. I don’t necessarily need that.
Start planning part of your next day
This is a huge hack to stay organised and it saves so much time in the morning. No way is this telling you to plan every day step-by-step. Just little things can help. For me, it’s planning my outfits the day before. It’s so much easier to throw on clothes that you lay out for yourself instead of rummaging through your wardrobe that morning.
I like this for 2 reasons, it can save time in the morning so you can either stay in bed a little longer, or you can do a little something in your morning routine. I also like to plan when I’ll definitely have breaks the next day. This is for things like lunch, dinner and going into town. That way, you’re just that little bit more organised and not rushing around.
Have a folder – organisation is key!
During A-levels, I didn’t keep a folder as I learnt mostly from books and past papers. At university however, it’s not all kept in one text book so your notes are precious! Keeping them in a folder keeps them all in one place and organised! I revise religiously from my notes and having them in order in my folder is so useful. I’m a big lover of flashcards but I always condense my notes before so I’m focusing on the most important information. It’d be so much more difficult if my notes weren’t organised by subjects and in order!
I’ve found the ring binders from Wilko’s to be the best value of money. You can get a huge ring binder for only £2.50. I’ve never bought my folders or ring binders from anywhere else!
Don’t force it
You won’t be fully focused on work or organised if you’re overloading yourself. Slide into it gradually. Add few things onto your to-do list and be proud of yourself for completing those few tasks. I’ve been trying to stay organised for a while now but I still only have 4-5 things on my to-do list each day.
I found it fairly easy to be more organised as I hate not having a basic structure. For others, it’s not as easy to welcome this organisation but it pays off. Organisation walks hand in hand with productivity. It’s so much easier to master one if you’ve got the other also in the bag.
Are you an organised person?
im obsessed with organization. I love going to Target and picking out new stationery items and pens to write in my planner with. I recently got into bullet journalling and have been loving it so far! I love the idea of a memo board! Great post!
Thank you! And the bullet journaling will become an obsession! I love mine! Xx
All these tips are so helpful! I myself use a normal planner and an app to help me study and stay organised – I’d be so lost without them x
They’re so so useful! Xx
I always thought that I was an organised person but I’m not necessarily very good at staying focused. There are some fantastic tips here – I’m certainly going to be checking out the app. My main problem is that I’m normally on my laptop, so will probably have to cut the internet as well. Maybe that’s the way to do it. Fantastic post!
Thank you! And yes that helps but I use my laptop when doing my work so I don’t cut the internet off xx
Sticky notes and excel sheets are my friends. Without them I wouldn’t be able to think of everything I need to do. I used to write everything down, but now I only use those two. So far so good.
Glad you found what works! Xx
I’m an organization junkie and actually feel elevated when I’m organized well haha. Mainly it’s fueled by my bullet journal in the last few years. The 2 drinks tip is a great one! I keep a drink but never thought to keep hot and cold. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reading! My bullet journal is the best thing to happen to me in terms of organisation xx
I love all these tips! I knew staying hydrated was good for your brain but I didn’t ever think to always have a drink with me when studying/working!
It’s so good to just quickly refresh before getting back on track! Xx
These tips are all so useful and can really be used by anyone!
Thanks! That’s what I was going for! Xx
Very useful information.Thabks for sharing
Thanks for reading!
Loved this post! Usually I’m a very organized person (I suffer from anxiety, so I must be organized or hell will break loose) but there are those days when I can plan all I want… my head just won’t work. 🙁 So what I do then is lay down on my bed and scribble down all the ideas I have that I don’t have the energy to put into work. When I feel better the next day, I have all those helpful notes and I get up to speed! But the tips in this post are a keeper, too. Going to bookmark this in my browser. 😀 Thanks for sharing, Kyra!
Thank you for sharing and reading! Xx
Such great tips! It can be hard to stay organized when you’re busy!
-Hillary (www.shmillas.com)
Very true! Xx
I’m a teacher now rather than a student but I still LOVE a ringbinder!
Sammy | Self-Care Sloth
Can’t best organised notes! Xx
I love how organized you are!! I agree with you about drinks!! Though, when I was a college student, I tend to keep alcoholic beverages because they actually helped me. Even water overall helps. Thanks for sharing all of these tips!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Thank you so much! Xx
It’s always great to learn time management tips from other bloggers so thanks for this post 🙂
Thank you for reading! Xx
Really want to start a bullet journal – see so many other bloggers do it and it looks like such an efficient way to maintain organisation!
It definitely is! I 100% recommend! Xx
Being organised and productive is a challenge for me. I tend to write lists and discard lists, and lose lists – but I do write lists which is a good start. I keep seeing all of these beautiful bullet journals and maybe that’s what I should use, as I don’t think I’d lose a journal.
No you definitely wouldn’t, mines amazing! If you don’t want to start a journal though, maybe write the lists on your phone? Xx
I really enjoyed this! I have found a memo board to be particularly helpful, although the best thing for me is definitely a diary. Thanks for sharing!
I totally agree! Xx
I’m pretty disorganised and easily distracted so I might give the study app a go! x http://www.joyofblogs.com
Definitely do! Xx
Some great tips with helping to stay organised! Being organised can help you be more productive x
Thank you and I definitely agree! Xx
These are really great tips, thank you for sharing Kyra! I’ve started a bullet journal this year, and amazed at how much more organised I am! I love the flexibility and the fact you can add and experiment with new designs and trackers each month. It’s really handy and a great way to stay motivated with your goals. Also, love the water tip, that’s so true, staying hydrated is so good for focus and concentration. Thank you for sharing and all the best with your studies! <3 xx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Thank you so much for reading and I love bullet journaling, I’d recommend it to anyone! Xx
Thank you so much for sharing your tips! I actually never thought about a memo board, so this is an eye-opening tip for me which I need to try out. I think it’s going to work perfectly for keeping organized with my blog!
xoxo Simone | https://beautymone.com
Glad I could help! Thanks for reading! Xx
Great post! I use a student planner to keep track of what I need to get done each day. I also love having a hot or cold drink while I work!
It helps so much!! Xx
A really nice read. I agree with you on making plans ahead of time to accomplish a goal be it for exams or even in writing something special for your guest reader. Although I learn’t this strategies two years ago I started coding in C++, I have always discover that making a plan can really help a lot to achieve our expected aims
This is so true! Thanks for sharing! Xx
I’ve been wanting to try making a Bullet Journal for a while not but not convinced I’ve got the will power to stick with it haha! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Definitely give it a go and thanks for reading! Xx
Hi! Great and very useful ideas! I am a fan of the memo board and to-do-list on my table! It really helps me to concentrate and keep going! 🙂
I feel like you need to have them to know how useful they actually are! Xx