Another academic year beckons, and another year of juggling assignments, exams, deadlines, and commitments. You’ll probably have a million things going on at once, and it’s so easy to get buried under a mountain of pending to-do lists. This can be a major cause procrastination and makes it easier to lose track of what’s going on, what you need to do and when.
‘Organising’ your life might seem like the most impossible thing to do, but it’s absolutely easy when you know exactly how to do it. It saves you a lot of time and energy, and you’re definitely going to cap off the day feeling satisfied and productive, ready to take on the next one –
Set a routine
Probably the first and foremost step to being organized, planning a routine to stick to an absolute necessity. This doesn’t mean that you have to have the exact same routine throughout the year. You can plan one for a week or a month and then switch it up for the next. Allot proper time for sleep, for study, to catch up with your friends, do homework, watch TV or a movie, etc. – for example, if you’ve given yourself a 4-hour study time, schedule 45 minutes for a TV episode, followed by a 1 hour homework time. You can also eat a meal while watching TV if you’d like. Suppose something from this routine doesn’t work out for you, you’d know where to be varied when planning your next. If you’re someone who isn’t much of a planner, you could do a ‘test run’. Prepare a schedule for yourself for 5 days and judge if this is something that could work for you.
Don’t let it be all work and no play
Part of being organized also includes time to yourself to have some fun. This could include catching up with some friends, watching a movie, cooking something, reading a book and more. Take it a step further by rewarding yourself with a ‘free’ day. Preferably over a weekend, you can sleep late, or do whatever you want, without having a schedule ‘looming’ over you. However, this reward comes only if you’ve followed and done everything as planned for the entire week! If you’d like to do something outdoorsy, grab a friend and head to an activity games centre, or have a little picnic in a nearby park – it’s as therapeutic as can be!
Find your ‘Spot’
This could be in your bedroom, living room, your balcony or even the school/college library. There will always be one particle place where you can sit and feel the most productive. However, if you find the college library the best, you don’t have to stay there for all of the hours you’ve decided to get some studying done. You could simply finish off a large chunk of your study, and then keep the rest for when you get home.
Invest in a good planner
Who doesn’t love a good piece of stationery! There are so many daily and weekly planners available in the market, with the most charming of prints and colours. A planner lets you stay on top of things and jotting down your goals and to-do lists is so much better than having to scroll through them on your phone. If you don’t want to buy a dedicated planner, you can always transform a simple notebook into your own customized planner. Simply dedicate each page to a particular day, or section off each page for a particular week. You can also make it look attractive with stickers, sticky notes, washi tapes or writing in different colours. Additionally, it is wise to stock up on stationery early on so that you don’t have to give it much thought or unnecessary time, especially during your exams.
Maintain good health
You’ve probably heard or seen this piece of advice almost everywhere, but keeping yourself in the best of health is probably the best way there is to lead a more organized and productive life. Moderate your junk food intake and try to make sure that most of your meals are home cooked. Keep yourself active with some form of exercise. You don’t need to get yourself a gym membership for this – a walk in the garden or a run on the beach will do the trick. Additionally, you can also enroll yourself to learn a new sport, if you’d like something more adventurous. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep, 7-8 hours, to ensure your brain is the sharpest and you’re at your productive best.
