The Organizer

Becoming
Organized

Becoming Organized

●

When transitioning into college there are fundamental skills needed
in order to succeed within university and to make the most of your
experience

●

Organization is a very important skill to have throughout your life

●

Being organized would include time management, staying focused,
writing emails, having a neat planner, working in a clean and
organized space and managing phone usage and/or distractions

Becoming Organized: The Benefits

● Focused only on what you want to achieve
● Helps prioritize your tasks
● Set and achieve goals more efficiently
● Manage time more effectively
● Work more economically and become more productive
● Less stressed
● Achieve more balance and flexibility
● Have more energy and enthusiasm

Becoming Organized: The 6 Habits of Highly
Organized People

1.

Keep it Simple
a.

Have as few steps as possible

b.

Choose a system that is easy to use and will make you more productive

2.

Develop Routines
a.

Create set routines

b.

Helps to manage time more effectively

c.Turn important tasks into routines and fit everything else around them

d.

Develop morning and evening routines for regular tasks

e.

Any routine can get broken but always try to get back on track asap

3.

Have a place for Everything and Put Everything in its Place
a.

Common sense but not common practice

Becoming Organized: The 6 Habits of Highly
Organized People

4. Keep a current and detailed To-Do List

a.It takes planning to be organized

b.Work backwards by starting with your end goal

c.Keep lists for daily tasks as longer term projects and a central list for everything

d.Give yourself deadlines

5. Don’t be a Perfectionist

a.Don’t have to be perfect to be organized

b.Prioritize tasks, learn shortcuts, and how to get things done quickly

c.The end goal is progress

6. Toss things daily and Purge routinely

a.Constantly cross things off, throw things away and reevaluate what you own

Time Management

The ability to use time effectively
Considered a skill that can be learned and
strengthened

Being Organized: Time Management

●Set Goals

○Know what you are using your time for

○Keep yourself on a more efficient track

○Identify time wasters

○To set goals, look at what time is spent on

●Make note of Deadlines

○Will have multiple classes at a time with different due dates

○Write down all deadlies ahead of time

○Can schedule time according to what comes first

●Start with small tasks/Break up large tasks

○Break down long lists by starting with small tasks

○Break down multi-hour long tasks into smaller parts

○This helps to stay motivated throughout the day

○Also makes tasks manageable

Being Organized: Time Management

●Create A Schedule

○One of the biggest recommendations in time management

○Can be digital or done manually and written down to every hour of the day

○Start by looking at the aspects you want to include

■Exs. social activities, lecture hours, study time, cooking time, exercise time, family time, etc

○Online classes allow more flexibility, easier scheduling, and more control

●Use Checklists

○Helps to manage time better

○Can be weekly starting with the beginning of the week

○Can be combined with a schedule

○Helps to make sure no item is forgotten or overlooked

●Use Breaks Wisely

○Major aspect to time management is how you use your breaks

○Besides the intentional recharging breaks, use breaks in your schedule as “extra” time to get tasks
done

○Using breaks effectively allows more time for wants rather than “have to’s”

Being Organized: Time Management

●Leverage Technology

○Technology is your friend

○Use time management apps

○Even timers and calendars on your phone can be used

●Ask for Help

○Asking for help comes in the form of delegation

■Ex. creating a cleaning schedule with roommates

●Reward Yourself

○Rewards should coincide with your time management goals

○Once the goal is reached, you look forward to having something

Improving Your Focus

Being mentally focused is essential for success

Being Organized: Improving Your Focus

●Focus is critical for learning new things, achieving goals, and performing well across a variety of situations

●Building focus is basically a mental muscle, the more you work on it the stronger it gets

●There are two types of focus: Scattered and Directed

○Scattered focus: is broadly distributed attention; typically a “multitasker”; this is most people's’ attention; the problem with
this is the brain is extremely bad at switching between multiple things at once; a waste of mental energy

○Directed focus: is direct attention to a single action while ignoring everything else; this is what people should aim to achieve

●To avoid scattered attention remove all distractions

●Physiology also plays a factor in affecting your ability to focus; you must take care of your body

●In order to build focus you must remember:

○Concentration is a skill and you can train your brain to focus

○Start with small increments then increase the amount of time

○Make concentration a regular habit

○The best time of day to focus is in the morning

○Un-stimulate your brain by taking proper breaks

■Not occupied by phone; this is still stimulating your brain

■Walk, meditate, or nap; essentially clear your mind

Being Organized: Improving Your Focus

●Try the Pomodoro Technique

○Choose a task; concentrate on it for a timed 25 min; take a 5 min break then start the 25 min again; after 4 rounds of
that take a longer break of 30 min (doesn’t have to be these exact numbers of time)

●Evaluate how mentally focused you are

○Assess your mental focus at the present moment

○Good Focus is: easy to stay alert, setting goals and breaking tasks up into smaller parts, taking short breaks and
getting back to work

○Focus needs work if: day dream regularly, can’t tune out distractions, lose track of progress

●Eliminate distractions

○Set aside a specific time and place and request to be left alone for that time being

○Another alternative – seek out a calm location

○Distractions can be external and internal

●Limit your focus

○Juggling multiple tasks at once can cut down productivity and makes it harder to hone in on truly important details

○Attentional resources are limited so it is important to budget them wisely

○Stop multitasking and give your full attention to one thing at a time

Being Organized: Improving Your Focus

●Live in the moment

○Put away distractions (physical & psychological) and be fully mentally engaged in the current moment

○Keeps attention sharp

○Essential for recapturing your mental focus

○Work on learning to truly live in the moment

●Practice Mindfulness

○This gives the ability to stay on task longer, switch between tasks less frequently and perform work more efficiently

○Involves learning how to meditate, among other things

○Eventually becomes easier to disengage from intrusive thoughts and return to your focus to where it belongs

●Take a short break

○After focusing for a long time, focus starts to break down

○Researchers have found that even taking very brief breaks by shifting your attention elsewhere can dramatically
improve your mental focus

○Shift attention to something unrelated to task

●Keep practicing

○Building mental focus does not happen overnight

○First recognize the impact of being distracted; you’ll be able to accomplish more and concentrate on things that
bring success, joy and satisfaction

Cited Resources

Nair, M. (2023, January 24). The Best Time Management Tips for college students - uopeople. University of the
People. https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/10-best-time-management-tips-for-students/

YouTube. (2017). How to be Organized for School, College or Life [The 6 Habits of Highly Organized People].
YouTube. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88MjoZalHpM&authuser=0.

Cherry, K. (2023, August 14). 7 useful tips for improving your mental focus. Verywell Mind.
https://www.verywellmind.com/things-you-can-do-to-improve-your-mental-focus-4115389

YouTube. (2019). Why You can’t focus -- And How to Fix That. Retrieved October 12, 2023, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52nqjrCs57s&authuser=0.