This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Aberdeen chapter.
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…