When it comes to doing well in school, organization is the most important factor. There are various ways to organize your life to help you raise your GPA. Since different methods work for different people, it is important to understand that what may work for one person might not work for another person. In this article, I will explain a few methods I use to make studying as easy as possible, why they are useful, and some alternatives for people who find other methods to be more effective for them.
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First of all, regardless of what your personal preference is, some form of a planner is an essential way to organize your schedule. You can organize your planner in any way you feel may benefit you. Whether it is a basic to-do list or an elaborate planner separated into months, weeks or even both, this can be a very simple way to make your life easier. Not only does having a planner help you plan your week more efficiently, but it also helps you understand the number of days you have left to complete certain assignments. Due dates always seem as though they are much farther away than they truly are, but when you have a planner to look at, it is so much easier to realize that those due dates are only a few days away. This can help serve as motivation to make you less likely to leave everything to the last minute.
Another key technique is to list everything you have to do in your planner as small tasks. When an assignment is separated into parts, it makes completing it seem much more doable. This is especially important when it comes to doing research papers or studying for exams. For example, it is best to focus on one theory per every two days instead of cramming all of them at the last minute. Obviously, this may vary depending on what you have crammed into your schedule or how many days you have available to study the subject. If you have enough time, even fifteen minutes of (efficient) studying can be enough.
Additionally, another way to keep your studies organized is to keep two notebooks for each class. One of these notebooks should be used in class to write down ideas that your professor says are essential. This notebook can be as messy as it needs to be in order for you to efficiently write down everything you can while paying attention to the lecture. The second notebook should be kept at home for you to transfer your notes more neatly in a way that helps you understand the notes. This method is very helpful because it allows you to turn the messy notes you take in class into a mind map that you will be able to understand weeks after you took the notes, while also allowing you to pay attention to the lecture. To add on, this is more useful when done as soon as possible. If you like to color code things, you can highlight your notes or use different colored pens to make it easier to find certain terms, ideas, or other important things. While I understand that this can be not only costly but also time-consuming, it does have its benefits.
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As long as you are able to set goals for yourself and push yourself to fulfill them, you have the potential to be successful. I believe that it helps to write down what I want to do and how I intend to complete it. It is also very important to check with yourself at the end of the day to determine whether or not you have fulfilled all of your goals. If you have not, ask yourself why you were not able to do them and write down how you intend to be more successful in completing them. Although it can be difficult to build up enough motivation and discipline to get through the end of the semester, remember no pain, no gain. In the end, all of the hard work you have done throughout the semester will pay off.