At the beginning of a new term, it’s best to start as you at least intend to try and go on. With that in mind here’s a quick list of great habits to adopt if you want to make sure that you stay on top of everything.
1. Make a daily To-Do list
This one seems pretty obvious but you should not underestimate the power of the To-Do list! It’s so easy to overlook something when you have lots of little things to do. You’ll finish your reading for tomorrow’s lecture only to realise your seminar task is sitting on your desk, incomplete, and that seminar starts in 3 minutes. Write it all down and it’ll free up space in your head and make it much harder to overlook things.
2. Actually follow your To-Do list
Making a list can make you feel like you’ve been productive even though technically you haven’t actually done anything. Don’t let it fool you. There is absolutely no point wasting time making list after list if you know you aren’t going to stick to them. Be strict with yourself. Think of your To-Do list as a legally binding document, once a task is on there make yourself complete it- no matter what! It might be a pain at first but once you get into the habit it’s one of the best ways to make sure you stay on top of things.
3. Set regular working times
Sometimes the hardest part about getting work done is actually getting started. It’ll help if you set regular times in which you know you have to work. If you are always free 11am-12pm on a Thursday then set that hour aside for something specific that you need to get done. If you can find a regular time for each of your modules it’ll be much easier to make sure you keep up to date with all your reading.
4. Plan your meals
Nothing makes me feel quite as organised as bringing a pack lunch to campus with me. If you have some spare time make yourself a big batch of pasta and put it in the fridge for a day when you won’t have time to nip home for lunch between lectures. It’s an especially good idea if you’re living off campus, it’ll save a lot of time. Plus it’ll stop you having to go hungry!
5. Always check your emails
Sometimes the last thing I feel like doing is logging on to my email account. But if you ignore it and let the messages build up then when you do finally check your inbox it will be overflowing. You’ll end up missing appointments and it will all be a big hassle. It’s far better to make sure you check your inbox at least once a day, it will save you time in the long run plus you’ll look super organised if you always reply quickly to all your messages.
6. File everything as soon as you can
When you get home make sure you put all your loose sheets of paper into the right file/draw/whatever. If you don’t you’ll end up with papers scattered all over the place in various bags or crumpled up somewhere you’ll never think to look when it comes to exam time and you desperately need to find it.