How do you do it?

[Ninedays9]

I know there's some students here... but this is for everyone who has ever done very well with school. Or people who have a lot going on and need to organize it all.

What's the secret to doing well in classes? I've gotten by with A's, B's and occassional C, and the rare D so far, but I'm in graduate school now, and it's freaking me out! I have the tendency to procrastinate. I do get things done on time, and I think I do my best work at crunch time, but I don't think it's going to work to do that, when I've got huge progects as I do.

So I'm thinking about writing down every single assignment, the due date of it, and everything that I need to do to prepare for actually getting it done. Like, we have a big project due at the end where we need to observe reference librarians, and that's clearly not something I can wait to do.

So, what do you think? If I actually stick to what I write down, will it work well? Does anyone have any other good organization tips? I'm starting to feel a bit over my head with school (reading, homework, huge projects, actual class itself), wedding planning (in the process of making Save the Dates), and work. Any advice would be greatly appreciated 'cause I'm kind of baffled on how to arrange everything to work together. (Like, maybe you could tell me to get off the message board and do my homework....haha.)

[BelhurstBride]

I just finished grad school in August, and my method was a little different than my friends, but it worked well for me! I'm actually the opposite of a procrastinator... I get everything done early! But when I had papers or large projects to do, I would just do a little bit at a time. Like, if I had 45 minutes one day, I would write the intro paragraph to my paper. I would write whatever I could in a short period of time, then I would come back to it when I had a little bit more time to spare. That way, I didn't get overwhelmed with things and I ended up getting things done early.

I think it's easier and more manageable to do things in parts, rather than all at once!

[Ninedays9]

That does sound like a good way to do it. I always tell myself I'm going to do that, and then I never do. Hopefully this time around, I'll be a little better with it.

[RosieAngel]

I work, go to a local community college, and have a shiny 3.94 GPA.

I also have the same strategy as BellhurstBride! I study a little every day, usually right after class, in a distraction-free setting, which usually has to be the library before or after class, since, when FH is home, he's always playing music or watching TV or something equally loud. I generally write one main point on my papers a day, unless I'm on a roll! And I always finish things early so I have time to edit.

Also, I take a strategic approach to choosing the number of units I take. I know, for example, that I study better during Spring Term than Fall Term, so I take less units in the Fall. I also know that I am terrible in Math, so I take a half-load during terms where I have to take Math classes. It is better to go slower and get good grades than try to rush through everything and crash and burn!

[lanabanana]

I'm pretty OCD, okay.. my friends call me anal...when it comes to things like this. Last year I was working full-time as a LPN while going to school full-time to become a RN and dating my FH. I had to get organized or wouldn't have made it. I printed out calendars for every month of the semester and wrote in what I needed to do every day. Sometimes it was "read pages 250-300" or "write intro and 2 paragraphs of paper" or "make concept map for section A". Whatever it was, I had a plan for every day. That's what works for me. And if I skipped what was on my plan one day then I had to make up for it the next day. But I have to admit that I'm often a "crunch time gal" and am famous for not writing rough drafts, but just going to a final paper - not a good idea!
Good luck!

[tortoisegirl]

When I was in school I was the one who got everything done really early. Sometimes, that didn't work in my favor (I'd forget what it was I worked on if I did the homework on the day it was assigned, when it wasn't due for a week). I'd recommend to personally find what works best for you. Some sort of plan, list, calendar, is never a bad idea though. I like to cross things off--feels good to accomplish things. I also keep a to-do list so my mind doesn't feel cluttered.

I keep a small day planner (it fits in my purse) to make things easy and have everything in one place, such as appointments, to-do list, notes about things like wedding stuff. A good start is writing down when assignments are due, when you need to read what by, etc. Going a step above that could be to plan out what you want to accomplish each day (like lanabanana was saying). This can help break something up that may seem overwhelming at first.

[Kirby]

I constantly have a "to do" list. Every time I get an assignment I write it on the list, along with the due date. I also have everyday things on there too, like what bills I need to pay soon. I keep the same list for a few weeks. Every time I accomplish something on the list I make a point of crossing that item off the list. It makes me feel good about myself. When the paper gets filled up and most of them are crossed off I start a new list, carrying over things from the old list that I haven't accomplished yet.

I used to be a fan of day planners, but I prefer now to have everything I need to do in one section rather than spread throughout different pages.

[Ninedays9]

Those are good ideas. I like the one about writing something down for every day. That is probably what I should do, and if I tell myself I have to get my list done before going on to other things, like checking these boards or playing sims, I just might actually do my list.

Looking at things in advance will probably also help me because I sometimes do stupid things like look at an assignment the day before it's due and realize I need sources from the library... which isn't accessible at the time I'm trying to do the assignment.

And I'm also the type of person that never write a rough draft. I hate writing things down on paper. I feel like it's wasted time to write it and then type it, especially when I type faster than I write. And yeah, that probably is a bad thing 'cause I tend to get more misspelled words and mistakes in there. So it probably is a good idea for me to try and get things done early so I can go back and edit.

[acidcookie]

OK. I'm a Ph.D. student taking my last classes, I teach an undergrad ad/pr research methods class, have 5 billion research projects, am practically my advisor's right-hand woman, and am in the town symphony, so I hear ya. How do I get it all done? I don't sleep. I'm up till 3, back up at 7:30. I'm not a slacker, I'm just out of time all the time. I work on the computer so much that coming here and going to Facebook and all that are my little breaks.

The only way I stay (semi-) sane is to keep a good list, like others have mentioned. I work back and forth between my desktop and laptop so I keep a notepad file open all the time (synched across computers so it's always updated wherever I am) and just type into there everything I need to get done today, tomorrow, Thursday, later in the week, etc. My brain is in that notepad. I plow through until I get at least the bare minimum done and what I didn't get to moves to the next day. I try to break it into steps and pieces so I don't stare at something big like "presence paper" but can get right to work on something clearer like "revise results section--see comments"

I also keep notes EVERYwhere. I will never remember what we talked about in a meeting, what my advisor told me to add to the paper, what the prof said to cover in our presentations next week, so I have to write it all down. Then when I put it in my list I can say "gather literature on X, see notes from meeting..."

I also have a Google Calendar where I immediately put all events I get through email. Then, I also have a paper planner where for the week I copy down my calendar events, and work in during what chunks of time eqach day I will work on what to-do items ("read article on bus," "drop off tests before gym"). It's all really strategic and ridiculous.

Oh, and also, I always have something to work on at hand in case I have some unplanned downtime (like waiting at the dentist). I've got a book to read while I'm waiting, something to grade on the bus, etc. I've really learned the value of a few minutes here and there to get something done.

And then, many days all this still doesn't cut it. Because sometimes my FH does want to see me, and I do want to hang out with friends, haha.

[lalaland13]

This isn't really the same, but in college I worked weekends for the last year and a half. I was also a weird sleeper and woke up and did papers right before class-holy crud, how did I ever stay above it all? I had a decent GPA too....anyway, once I started the project, I was usually OK. But I'd moan and groan about it and decide I should just drop out and work at Burger King instead of doing a 5-page paper (can you tell I was, at one time, a theater major? That didn't work out).

If you have some extra time at school, could you go to the library and study a bit? Sometimes being in a non-home environment cuts down on distractions.

I am still a weird sleeper, and still procrastinate. Starting the project, or just making a little effort to do something on it, helps. And on that note, I should probably try and sleep.

Also, I usually had a pretty good idea of when I got to the point of no return and could not procrastinate anymore. I think most people know their limit, and sometimes I did cross it and not have an assignment for class. So trust your gut.

[brendalin]

I wil not bore you with all the stuff taht I have going on in my life, instead I will jump to what has worked for mr, because like you I tend to push things off. I think sometimes I take on more then I can handel. I LIVE by my planner and my calendar at work which I set reminders for myself.

I always tell myself that things are due before they are actually do (this would drive my classmates nuts because I would always have the worng due date for things, but it made sure I was sane) I make lists of things that need to get done and put them into an order of importance. Prioritize what is important, but always leave time for yourself. Someitmes you will have to tell people no. That is my biggest proplom

Hope this helps you a little. good luck with school!