Problems with planning and organising during your degree programme
When you have difficulty planning and organising, this may have a number of different causes. When studying or during your internship, you might find it difficult to make a plan for doing your study-related tasks. You often do not know how or where to start and are frequently unsure of which task you should take care of when. All these factors may affect your performance in school.
This is what I need or might need
Support in planning and organising your study activities
A range of facilities, accommodations and schemes are available at your educational institution and nationally, which may be very helpful to you and might make it easier to achieve success in your degree programme. As a student who struggles with planning and organising your study activities, you might have a need for the following:
- Guidance and advice. There are a number of people at school who could help you with this. Get in touch with these people if you encounter obstacles during your degree programme.
- Courses and other training options. It is possible that – as a result of your problems with planning and organising – your academic performance might not be the best you are capable of. This may be due to a variety of reasons. There are a number of courses or other training options that could help you with this. Such training is sometimes offered by research universities and universities of applied sciences; talk to your study adviser about this.
Have a look at the other facilities, accommodations or schemes that might be helpful for you, too.
Tips
Attending class and learning
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- Planning: you can ask your adviser for guidance or support with task-oriented planning or making a study schedule. Some educational institutions have a buddy programme in which a fellow student can help you with planning your studies. Try to plan out each week in advance and make sure your schedule is realistic!
Using computers
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- Computer programs for planning: use computer programs for tasks such as planning and organising your tasks. A digital calendar such as Google Calendar can help you plan effectively and remind you of tasks you need to complete. You can use Todoist to create to-do lists for yourself.
Completing projects and assignments
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- Support: ask your lecturer for extra support when you need it. Examples of this might involve extra instructions and feedback intervals. If your lecturer does not have time for this, you can contact your study adviser to talk about whether there are other possibilities for additional support.
Study materials
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- Folders: be sure to immediately file/store all the information you receive in an organised way. Create useful folders for yourself on your computer. Scan any information you are given on paper. An example of how to organise the folders on your computer can be:
- Academic year 2020-2021
- Subject x
- Week of class: 1
- Week of class: 2
- Etc.
- Subject x
- Academic year 2020-2021
Internship
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- Advice: ask someone at your educational institution for advice on supervision at the internship. This might, for instance, involve what you should tell the supervisor about your disability, things the internship company should be aware of and how to make the supervision as effective as possible in your specific case.
- Agreements: make agreements concerning expectations/possibilities/limitations at your internship. You can also ask a supervisor or lecturer from your degree programme to do this for you.
- Learning objectives: before you begin looking for an internship, write down your learning objectives, your ambition, which tools/aids you need and your areas for attention, so that you have a clear picture of these things.
- Weekly schedule: make an effective (realistic) weekly schedule and ask for help in doing so.
- Division of tasks: divide the work in such a way that you can do something you are good at.
Assessments and exams
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- Time: ask the lecturer if they can announce any assessments or exams well in advance.
- Get assignments in advance: make sure to ask any questions you have as soon as you are given an assignment. By doing this at the earliest opportunity, you will increase your chances of successfully completing the assignment.
Learning
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- Planning: guidance or support with task-oriented planning, provided by the adviser or buddy.
- Study buddy: a study buddy can help you by studying together and asking each other questions.
- Reminders: use reminders to encourage yourself to learn. You could, for example, set reminders in your digital calendar. You could also establish fixed times to do your work or ask people close to you if they will help you remember.
- Study-break software: download software that reminds you when it is time to take a break. Afterwards, you will feel refreshed when you resume studying! You could also try the Pomodoro technique, which involves studying in ‘blocks’ of time – 25 minutes for example – and then taking a short break and repeating these steps.
- Review your notes: try to form a habit of going over your notes one more time every evening or after your last class of the day.
- Alternating between reading and writing tasks offers variety.
- Clean desk policy: place only the items you need in front of you on the table or desk. Anything else is a distraction.
- Organise the lesson material: organise your lesson material by writing down brief notes, diagrams and questions for yourself and by distinguishing between primary and secondary issues.
- Develop a study routine: stick to a fixed rhythm and pre-established times for studying.
- Completing a task: set realistic goals for yourself and try to complete at least one task every day. You should also avoid trying to do too many things at once; instead, take on your study-related tasks one at a time.
- Spacing out tests: ask your study adviser if this is possible, so you can focus on one thing at a time.
- A course on processing information/study skills/time management: take a course that can help you learn how to plan and organise better. Most educational institutions offer this kind of course. Examples are: study skills, thesis skills, learning to study and studying effectively.
- Block schedule: create blocks of time and divide your work into individual blocks. No one can study for eight hours in a row, so be sure to schedule breaks and take ‘time off’ when you notice your productivity is low.