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Ah yes. The dreaded feeling of not finishing that English assignment early, or sleeping knowing you did not give an assignment your best is only too well known amongst us. So, how can you create a schedule that not only works but works best for you?
Take care of yourself!
No amount of organisation can prevent inevitable burnout if you don’t put your basic needs first. This means sleeping on time, having 3 meals a day and getting regular exercise in! Beyond this, however, fulfilling relationships with friends and family are also necessities to keep your mental health in tip-top shape. After all, they will be the ones to celebrate your successes after you have locked down a schedule (and lifestyle) that works for you!
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1: As you can see, if the things at the bottom of the pyramid ( Food, health, friendships) aren’t there, we won’t be able to reach our full potential!
Use a calendar
When I started thinking about how to be organised, it was so confronting to see so many different ways that people keep themselves on top of their work. Since all of these people were successful in my eyes, I felt that I had to somehow combine all of them together to make my own! This was a very bad idea.
The truth about organisation is that there is no one size fits all solution. We are all different, with different circumstances and experiences. To accept that one solution works for everyone, means accepting that we are all the same, which is very untrue.
What this means for you is that your journey of finding how to organise a calendar for yourself may vary widely. For me, I went from google documents (making a table-calendar and filling in things), to a priority table, to numerous calendar apps, eventually settling on Structured as my preferred one at the moment. This took over 2 years, and I feel happy with what I have, as it works for me and doesn't make me feel pressured to take up another person’s advice.
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2: This is an example of what Structured provides. You can have an inbox for all your to do's, and a logically set out everyday plan.
Logistically, what does one put on a calendar? Here’s my list:
- Due dates for assignments (I like to set my personal due date a good 5 days before the actual due date, as this pressured me to finish it earlier)
- Times to meet teachers to discuss my results
- Extracurricular activities
- Times for one-on-one English tutoring and homework
- Past papers that I must complete in preparation for trials
- Relaxation/mindfulness activities and going out with friends (yes, even though it’s enjoyment it belongs here, as it is part of maintaining your mental health!)
I like to have my to-do list integrated with my calendar too. What do you think works for you?
Surround yourself with the right people
Perhaps the most important one is the people surrounding you.
I learned this lesson the hard way in highschool, where I would surround myself overtime with ultra-competitive, pessimistic and deeply insecure individuals. It was extremely difficult living up to the standards that people around me established, and for my schedule it meant that I made extremely unachievable goals. This made me feel even worse when I couldn’t finish all of it, which is the opposite of what we want!
Make sure to surround yourself with people who are supportive and aren’t ‘comparers’ (what mark did you get, what rank did you get etc…). If done so, you ensure you work at a pace that works for you and attain good friends that will similarly be as organised as you!
Want more organisation with English or Math? Reach out at Concept - we're always happy to help!
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