Organization Tips for Unorganized Students

When living on their own for the first time, many students struggle to adapt to more “adult-like” aspects of life, like organization. Organization is one of the most important skills a student can master. While some students master organization at an early age, others find staying on top of their schoolwork and schedule to be difficult and exhausting.

As a self-proclaimed unorganized student, I found that actively working to implement organizational skills in my school life helped me achieve my educational goals painlessly and more efficiently. I have compiled a list of my favorite organization tips that helped me stay sane and productive while navigating college.

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Write Everything Down

And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. This is because writing things down improves your ability to recall information. By a process called encoding, information is sent to our brain’s hippocampus. The information is then analyzed and is either stored in your long-term memory or is forgotten. When you write things down, you are improving the encoding process.

This information is helpful when taking notes and studying for assignments, but it is also helpful in other areas of life, like organization. Making a list of important tasks gets them out of your head and in front of your eyes. You can see exactly what needs to be done for the day, and your risk of forgetting something important is minimized.

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Use Organization Apps

As romantic as taking a pen to paper is, the reality is that we live in a digital world. All kinds of things that were not originally designed to be online have found a space on the internet. This is also true for organization. The “productivity” niche of the internet has revolutionized the way that we stay organized by developing apps that keep organization centralized to your smart devices. Here are some of the top organization apps for 2021:

1. Todoiest: Todoist is a “to-do list” app that allows users to make lists for their school, work, and home lives. It is especially great for students because it is easy and quick to use, with quick add options and reminder features that send notifications to your phone. Plus, the premium version is only $3 a month!

2. Google Calendar: This calendar app helps users with organization by creating a monthly spread that can be broken down by days. Days can be broken down even further by the hour, where users can assign tasks to each hour of the day. This is a great way for students to see time management in action. The app is user-friendly, works on iOS and Google devices, and, best of all, is FREE!

3. Freedom: Freedom is an “anti-distraction” app that will block websites and apps that distract you from your tasks. There is even a “lockdown” feature that will prevent users from disabling the app in times of intense focus and organization. This one is great for students because it comes with a free 7-day trial and costs a little over $2 a month for an annual subscription.

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Have a Routine

Being a college student is stressful even without a global pandemic. It can be difficult for many students to balance organization with the rest of their busy schedules without a solid routine. While breaking bad habits can be difficult at first, the benefits of having a routine in college are incredible in terms of mental health, productivity, and organization.

Organization for college students benefits by having a routine in many ways. Having a routine allows students to set aside time every day to check things off of that pesky to-do list. Students are more likely to complete their lists when it is incorporated into their everyday routine. Having a routine also helps students break bad habits. When you schedule your day with maximum organization in mind, there is less time to indulge in bad habits. A daily routine also prevents people from falling victim to an ailment common to many college students: procrastination. When you know what direction your day is going and what task comes next, it is easier to get important things done in a timely manner.

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Prioritize

The most useful thing I learned when I decided to go back to college was the Eisenhower Matrix. Also known as the Urgent-Important Matrix, this time management tool allows students to prioritize their tasks by putting them in categories of:

1. Urgent-Important: The first quadrant is for tasks that are both important for your life and work, and are also time-sensitive. These are the things that you need to do first, like projects and assignments that are worth a high percentage of your grade.

2. Less Urgent-Important: The second quadrant is for things that are still important to your life and work, but are less time-sensitive. These tasks are able to be scheduled to be completed after the tasks in your “urgent-important” quadrant are complete. An example of a second quadrant task could be scheduling time to finish assigned reading for class the next day.

3. Urgent-Less Important: The third quadrant is for tasks that are time-sensitive, but not very important to your life or work. These are tasks that you can delegate to other people because they can be done by someone other than you and still have the same outcome. This could mean skipping an optional meeting and asking for the main points to be sent to you via email.

4. Less Urgent-Less Important: The fourth quadrant is for tasks that are not time-sensitive and are not important in your life or work. These are things that often get in the way of organization and productivity. These tasks are to be done either not at all, or only when everything in the first three quadrants is done. This includes tasks like surfing the internet, watching TV, or playing video games.

Conclusion

Learning how to stay organized is one of the most important skills a student can learn to ensure their success while in college. The best part about organization is that it is an easy skill to implement in your work, school, and personal life. Writing things down, using organization apps, having a routine, and prioritizing tasks all help unorganized students excel in their education goals