Getting Organised for Deadlines

Getting Organised for Deadlines  

After all the fun of the first few months of uni, deadlines are now hitting us all thick and fast! I like to think that I’m a pretty organised person, so here’s some little tricks that I do to keep myself organized over the busy deadline period.

• Get a dairy – keeping a note of all your deadlines, classes and reading will make things so much easier. You have less chance of forgetting to do something if you have it written down!

• Read your course guides – the course guides usually have lots of information of what’s expected from your assignments/essays. They might also have some suggested secondary readings which are a big help!

• Plan, Plan, Plan – essays and assignments are a lot of work, from finding secondary sources to referencing, it can get quite stressful. I do all my secondary reading first, have my bibliography written out so it’s easier to find the information for referencing. I also make essay plans and select the quotes which will go in each paragraph. Doing more work before writing the actual essay means you can just get on with writing.

• Don’t leave it until the last minute – I always plan to have my essay finished a few days before the deadline so then I have time to make any changes or to read it over a few times before submitting. It also means that you’re not rushing and less likely to make silly mistakes and then lose marks.

• Balance your time – if you have two assessments due around the same time, try to spend equal time on them both. Plan to write a few paragraphs on one then do the same on the other. You don’t want one assignment to suffer because at the end of the semester/year the mark will count towards your overall mark of the year (especially 3rd and 4th year)

• Don’t Panic! – it can be very easy to start panicking when you’re running out of time or you have writer’s block or just feel overwhelmed. Take a break, have something to eat/drink and step away from the work for 5-10minutes. It’s not healthy, mentally or physically, to spend 8-10 hours straight on something without taking a break.  Grades are important, but you also must look after yourself.

Hopefully these little tips will be helpful when deadlines or revision start to get very intense! HCAU XOXO

Photos  -Holly’s own and https://society6.com/product/its-ok-to-take-a-break-hand-lettered-typography-blue-umk_print?curator=rachelfollett, https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=organised&safe=active&rlz=1C1CHWA_enGB…

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