Activity One - What does it mean to be organised?

Step One - Think, Pair, Share

We are going to do a think, pair, share thinking routine. I am sure you have all done this before in other subjects but just as a recap:

1. On the hand out you have been given, individually, write down what you think being organised is or looks like. Think about study spaces, how notes and resources can be organised, ability to plan, etc. 

2. Now share your results with the person sitting next to you. 

3. Finally we will share the results as a group. 

Step Two - Self Diagnosis

On the same worksheet bullet point what you actually like and what do you feel you need to work on? Part of this whole process is all about self ownership. 

As you know I like things to be very organised, I like to know where my kit is. I like a good old to do list in which I can tick off jobs that I have completed with glee. I over assume what I can get done and therefore don't get everything I would like to get completed - I am not realistic!

Useful Resource

Activity Two - Explore

We have now looked at what we think makes someone more organised based on our own experiences. Now lets have a look at advice given to us by authors and the University of YouTube. Watch the YouTube clip and write down the six pieces of advice that are given. Write this down on the worksheet. 

Activity Three - Suggestions to Organise your Notes

Electronic and Digital Organisation

In many ways this should not be different!

Files

1. Create or have individual subject folders. 

   1. • These could be colour coded.

      • Use dividers or create extra folders in Google for the separate units that you will study within each subject. For a HL Geography 'Geographic Themes (Paper One)' it would be Freshwater, Food and Health and Extreme Environments. 

2. Label or title your work accurately. In Geography, my lot are asked to copy the title and the geographic knowledge and understanding of each lesson. They can then cross reference this with the Geography guide to make sure they have everything.

   1. • An extra step would be to scan your notes each day and then digitally file them.

3. File work straight away.

Bookmarks

You should bookmark documents/websites that you use regularly so that they are easy to find. 

• Go to the webpage and then at the top right of the page near the search bar there are three dots. Click on that and you can go to bookmarks. You can even create folders for your subjects and therefore have multiple resources saved in each folder.

Email

Try and work on inbox 0. Delete everything you don't need. Some say archive your emails and others have folders to categorise what is coming in. It depends what works for you. I use folders but I know my colleagues archive and rely on Google's search function.

TASK

1. On the worksheet, write down if there is anything you need to do to improve your generally level of organisation when it comes to filing your notes and sorting out your inbox. If it is nothing great - keep doing what you are doing. 

Activity Four - Scheduling and To Do Lists

Now I love a good to do list. I colour code my lesson notes, meetings and things I need to get completed in my school planner. But as you are becoming aware, if you didn't know already, I am a bit special and there is always more than one of doing things. Ultimately you need to do something to organise when you are going to do your work. ManageBac tells you when something is due or about to take place it doesn't tell you WHEN you should do that assignment. You have to be the decision maker. 

1. Decide on the type of planner you want to use - paper or electronic. Try not to cross contaminate - although I do!

2. Create a system that is simple and easy. 

3. Put in the non-negotiable non academic activities e.g. I do boxing on a Wednesday.

4. What deadlines are coming up and therefore what do you need to do to meet the deadlines? 

   1. • You may need to create a list of jobs first before you decide on the when.

      • Do those jobs need to divided up? For example, revise for a Geography test is big (maybe not as big as the BIG maths tests that go into Managebac, or the MASSIVE Physics test from Mr. Ronn). So what do you need to cover, how are you going to revise and creating chunks of time would be better for this activity. 

      • Then decide on the WHEN and write it in you planner.

      • Maybe use colour to show the urgency or high risk factor of not doing the task. 

TASK

Use the worksheet to record your answers to the following questions:

1. If you were going to give one of the apps ‘a go’ which one would it be? 

2. Why? 

3. Commit to it for a month to see if it works for you. 

Useful Resources

Forbes - Apps to get students organised 

Engadget - Best Organisation Apps 

Activity Five - Study Space and Concentration

Any space can be a study place as long as it is a quiet and calm space for you. This traditionally is a tidy desk in a designated spot in your house but the world has changed. The space needs to be productive for you, so probably not your bed where you can fall asleep but a quite space somewhere. This could be in the CoLab, a public library or even in a coffee shop. I wrote my Masters in the Starbucks at Eaux-Vives. I was more productive when it felt like people were judging me if I was off task! 

To make the space I had more productive I also needed to do the following:

• Close my browsers - to stop the general doom scrolling of the news, shopping, or checking the weather.

• Turn off my phone.

• Gave myself breaks every 45 minutes. Breaks should ideally be between 20-35 minutes.

• Drank plenty of water and had snacks on hand. 

The key thing is to find what works for you. Is it better that you work for an hour and then do some exercise. Do you chunk your time even further so you have a slight change of activity every 15-20 minutes. What works for one person won't necessarily work for another. 

Activity Six - Bed Time Routine

Before you put 'school' away for the night try and create a routine to make sure that you have 'cleared the decks' as best as you can. Reducing the school clutter that it is your head may even help you sleep better. This isn't about having nothing to do but being organised for the next day.

1. Sort, archive and delete your emails.

2. Sort out your school notes - paper or digital into their respective files.

3. Update your to do lists. Or add to the list of things you need completing the following week.

4. Pack your bag for the next day.

Useful Resources