Getting Organized: 10 Habits of Top-Performing Students

Regardless of where you are in your educational journey, you have to hand it to people who are organized. These students not only seem to always have their notebook tabs labeled, but their focus is sharp too.

These points are good but after reading this article, you will be in the same boat with them. You will avoid procrastination like the plague and take notes like a pro.

Organize Yourself

This might seem like an odd place to start because, after all, isn’t that the ultimate goal? Well, yes, but it starts with a mindset too.

Whether you build up to it or feel a sudden burst of organizational fever, you need to decide to get organized and organize yourself. For example, you might decide that next Sunday afternoon from 11-2, you will organize your workspace. This includes creating goals and to-do lists.

However you go about doing this, once you are finished, you will have a wonderful sense of control and accountability over your organization.

Set Smart Goals

Having goals is a crucial part of getting organized. Goals give you a sense of purpose and serve as a series of stepping stones in your life.

Don’t let your goals be too nebulous. Have them not only be specific but include a deadline too. 

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is another crucial part of setting and achieving goals. A good place to start this is with a planner. Put all your to-do items on a calendar, then backtrack when you want to start preparing for these goals.

Maintain Balance

As important as being organized is, it’s also important to enjoy more of life than just studying and working. Schedule time for yourself too.

Take Notes

The human brain is for figuring things out, not retaining information. As a result, leaders know how to take and keep good notes. When it comes to either one, especially if you plan to enlist a computer or other smart device use Evernote. It’s the best for the purpose.

Prioritize

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you have a large list of things to do without any idea of where to start. That’s why learning to prioritizing is so important. Learn to prioritize and tackle tasks one at a time.

Batch

The organization isn’t just a matter of what to do, but how to do it. For example, if you have a list of things to do that is chock full, but tasks of different sorts are listed in random order, it’s easy to get to the end of the day and still look like you have accomplished nothing. To avoid this, list similar items together such as homework, housework, etc.

Organize Your Space

Did you ever sit down to work and still felt overwhelmed? It’s probably because your “pile” has found its way to your desk and not allowed room for you to work and do more.

Take a period of time to organize your workspace, starting with your desk. You will feel better about it.

Less is More

What good is getting organized if you still have too much stuff? Take a lesson from Marie Kondo and get rid of stuff you don’t have a use for anymore. Create an atmosphere that makes you happy.

By implementing the steps in this article, you will not only become a better-organized student, but a better-organized person as well, and a more successful one to boot.