Organisation
Developing planning skills will help you to work smarter, take control of your schedule and make the most of your time at university.
Organise your time
Organise your time to manage your workload and reduce stress.
- Use a calendar or planner app, such as MyStudyLife to organise your time. Enter the dates of lectures, seminars and deadlines as soon as you can. Don’t forget to include your other important dates such as work or family commitments
- Create a system to organise your notes and other important information. This will save you time when you come to revise or write assignments
- Create effective to do lists to prioritise tasks and use your time more efficiently
- Try using a priority matrix to identify the most urgent tasks
Stay focused
Staying focused will help you save time and work more efficiently.
- Use technology to help you focus. Apps such as Forest and Cold Turkey can help you block out distractions and stay on track
- Find a study space that suits you and try out apps such as Noisli and Coffivity to create a productive atmosphere
- Identify when you are most productive and schedule your hardest work for this time. Make most of your mornings with apps such as Alarmy
- Get more work done by avoiding procrastination
- Take breaks to keep your mind fresh. Use plug ins such as Tomato Clock to help you organise your work into manageable chunks and take meaningful breaks from your study
Organise your notes
Throughout your time at university, you will make notes to record important information from your reading, lectures and seminars. Your notes will help you remember the key points about a topic, provide source material for essays and seminars, and will be the starting point for your revision.
Efficient notetaking will help reduce the quantity of notes that you take and organising how you make and store your notes will make it easier to use them effectively for reference and revision:
- Manage your workload by keeping your notes focused. Ask yourself what you need to know and only make a note of relevant information
- Take notes in a way that suits you. This could include a structured list of points, short summaries of relevant information or mind maps, pattern notes or diagrams
- Try using visual markers, such as underlining or colour coding to make it easier to spot important information later
- Condense notes onto revision cards or organise notes from different sources by topic to summarise the main points of your learning
- Store your notes securely using a system that works for you. You could try using colour or numerical coding to help you cross-reference between different topics and modules
Taking notes online can help you stay organised. Find out more about the benefits of online notetaking and different tools you can use .
Don’t forget you have access to OneNote as part of Office 365.
Stress, wellbeing and mental health
‘Fancy a Cuppa?’ events or Study Happy events and resources can help if you’re feeling stressed.
The University also has loads of resources and support for your wellbeing and mental health.