Start organised: Stay organised

Sara Steinke

GET AHEADUNDERGRADUATE SUMMER PROGRAMME 2012

Aims of the session

• To identify what you have already achieved in terms of getting organised for studying at university

• To recognise key organisational strategies to help you to study effectively and efficiently at university

• To draw up your ‘to do’ list of organisational strategies to action before you start your studies

Why start organised?• Adult learners have many, often competing,

demands on their time; involving work, family and studying

• Poor organisational skills prevents students from achieving their best

• Related to other study skills – study space, time management, essay writing, presentations, exams, revision, reading, note-taking

• Helps you to achieve your short and long term goals

Cottrell, S. The Study Skills Handbook chapter 4

C - Creativehave the confidence to use your individual strategies and styles, applyimagination to your learning

R - Reflectivesit with your experience, analyse and evaluate your own performanceand draw lessons from it

E - Effectiveorganise your space, time, priorities, state of mind and resources to the maximum benefit

A - Activebe personally involved, do things, physically and mentally in order to make sense of what you learn

M - Motivatedbe aware of your desired outcomes using short and long-term 'goals'

Think about the following1. Have you created an

adequate and dedicated study space?

2. Are you comfortable? 3. Have you enough space to

work in?4. Do you have all the

equipment that you need?5. How are you going to

organise your notes/books?

1. What pressures are there on your time?

2. Have you thought about how you are going to fit in studying with your work and family commitments?

3. If so, what ideas have you had?

Think about the following

Setting goals

• academic• professional • personal goals

• short (this year)• medium (next year) • long (3 years) goals

Prioritisation

Stay organised• Use one diary to

create a ‘to-do list’• Prioritise tasks• Note deadlines –

write down dates you must begin working towards the deadlines

• Establish a study timetable

Stay organised1. Write down the three most important

organisational skills that you have learnt/thought about in this session? Why are they important to you?

2. Identify which organisation skills you can use to start organised and stay organised. How are you going to use these organisation skills to plan your study?

Recap of session

• We have looked at what you have already done to get organised for studying at university – well done

• You have created a organisation skills ‘to do’ list in order to start organised at university

• We have identified organisational strategies to help you stay organised at university

Cottrell, S. (2008) The Study Skills Handbook, 3rd Edition (London, Palgrave) chapter 4 ‘The C.R.E.A.M. Strategy for learning’ pp.70-79

http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/studyskills/learning/time.asp helpful information on organisational skills on the Skills4Study website

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/studyskills/course timetablestudy skills workshops whichdeal with organisational skills – and other study skills – in greater detail

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/services/facilities/support/time-management online resources on organisationalskills available on the Birkbeck Library website

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/mybirkbeck/get-ahead-stay ahead/skills/organisational-skills 20 minute interactive tutorial supporting this Student Orientation programme