Back To Action: Staying Organized

1.Develop a habit of writing things down:

Life as a student, be it college or high school can be very hectic. New assignments, group discussions and projects are assigned on a regular basis, so it is important to keep track of everything.

Let's be honest: no student can remember everything. Personally, there have been times where I have missed a couple of deadlines, forgotten about presentations and group discussions and I even forgot about tests! Dealing with many courses and extracurriculars can be hard, which is why a personal dashboard is extremely important.

For this, I like to use apps like Notion and Any.do, as well as ZNotes’ new planner! Writing things down can save you from a lot of hassle because you don’t have to rely on your brain as a storage device.

2. Set PERSONAL DEADLINES before the actual deadline:

When your teacher or professor sets deadlines for a project, don’t treat these dates as the actual deadline. Set your own deadlines a few days before the real deadline to ensure that you stay on top of things. An early personal deadline reduces stress and last minute hassle, ensuring that you turn in your best work without worrying about time constraints.

3. Learn to say NO:

You'll often be asked to do extra work or shift a task, which means other stuff gets, especially in extracurriculars and group projects with your fellow students. While teamwork and mutual understanding is extremely important, you should set boundaries on how much work you can take, alongside your already busy study schedule.

It's totally fine to say no to stuff without feeling bad. Focusing on being an effective and organized student is way better than always being busy but not actually getting anything done.

4. Follow the 2-minute rule:

If a task takes two-minutes or less, do it ASAP. Tasks like texting a friend about a project or emailing info to a project partner or getting forms or documents signed are examples of such tasks that don’t take much time to complete. Completing such tasks quickly ensures that your to-do list stays manageable, without small tasks piling up.

By Geetha Sree

ZNotes Content Writer