University Life | Five Ways I Plan to Organise My Time

So, the time is finally here. My final semester at University is in full swing and I am actually going to have to write my 10,000 word dissertation, therefore there will be no time to be unorganised. I have decided to share with you five organisation tactics I will be attempting to use to help this semester go more swimmingly for me.

1) Use folders and file dividers

So, for me I take three modules this semester so I have three separate A4 folders (which fit on my shelf perfectly) in which I keep all notes and printed PowerPoint’s in so everything I need when writing my assignments are kept together. This is anything special and I assume most students use such methods.

On top of this, I like to use file dividers to divide the notes into topics/lectures. Again this is means when I come to write my assignments I wont have to hunt for my notes in a massive folder that is unorganised chaos.

Furthermore, for my dissertation sources I have am using the method Laura is using for her dissertation folder – post here: http://www.elelibee.co.uk/2014/10/the-university-series-final-year.html. This is SUCH a good idea as it keeps all my sources in alphabetical order and I can easily find them without using the method I was using which broke it down into chapters not alphabetical order.

2) Organise my Mac into module folders

This is surely a given but in the past two years I have found it so important. The temptation is to save all files anywhere on a computer, but this is really not a good idea.

It is much easier to break all the modules into separate folders and even possibly divide it down again (into notes, PowerPoints, assignments, ect). All this ensures is things are slightly more organised on a computer and again easily identified.

3) Keep my diary up to date

This is something I have never fully achieved, I always start off with good intentions but always end up failing.

I have a diary which I purchased in our student union shop and it is a week per page one. I think this is ideal for me as it is not heavy and fits in my bag with ease. I need to ensure I copy everything on my Mac calendar to my paper diary so its all in one place, otherwise things get confused!

I have decided to use different colour ink for different things. Modules will correspond with their folder colour so Red, Purple or Blue, Dissertation will be green, Blog will be orange and everything else will be black.

4) Plan my time

By this I mean so I try to keep on top of everything.

I want to be doing three blog posts per week – if this is possible – so I will attempt to spend a couple of evenings doing this.

A whole day per week will be dedicated to each module and my dissertation and in-between I will be playing hockey and having some free time because this is equally as important as working.

5) Keep on top of the previous four things!

Its no good to say that I will simply try to do these things I must continue them. Like folder organisation, I will do my best to keep doing this until the end of the semester, after all it will only benefit me!

So over to you, what are your favourite organisational tips? Have you survived third year, if so how?

Thanks for all your lovely comments so far! It really has made me smile and surprised me as I am brand new to this!