Getting organised

Learning and working style

Reflect on how you work best and take charge of your learning

Organisation and Time Management

Develop routines that can make you more productive and less likely to procrastinate

Top Tips

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Know yourself

How, when and where do you study best?
What motivates, rewards and distracts you?

Priority Matrix

Put tasks into a ‘Priority Matrix’.

File

Printable Priority Matrix
Know the difference between 'important' and 'urgent' tasks.

Use calendars and planners

Colour code your week and allocate slots for studying.
Break big projects into smaller tasks, each with a deadline.

Try the Pomodoro method

Working in 25-minute bursts (with a 5-minute break in between) helps with concentration.

Use technology to help you

Calendars, productivity apps, reminders and to-do lists such as Drop Task and Wunderlist.
Get started by looking at 'No DSA software? No problem'.

Routines are more powerful than willpower

But they take time to establish. So get started!

Resources

Forest

Available as a mobile app for iOS and Android and also a Chrome extension, Forest helps you put down your phone and get productive!

Trello

A free online tool to help you manage tasks and projects, using visual boards. Create lists with draggable cards, then add links, colour coding, checklists, reminders and more.

Tomatoi.st

A simple online Pomodoro timer, which counts down from 25 minutes, or shorter break times. Find out more about the Pomodoro technique.

OneTab

If you have lots of open tabs, OneTab extension for Chrome and Firefox will convert them into a single list, freeing up memory and speeding up your computer. Click to reopen tabs or save and export.

Dayboard

Use this Chrome extension to select your five most important tasks. These will appear when you open a new tab to remind you.

Screenshot of Stay Focused showing site blocking options

StayFocusd

Chrome extension which helps you limit or block distracting websites.

Skills for success: The personal development planning handbook

This book will help you to think about personal, academic and career goals and to plan a path to success.

teamgantt

Teamgantt is a simple online software for creating gantt charts via drag and drop.

Tomato Timer

Free online Pomodoro timer.

Organising yourself - University of Sheffield

Interactive, audio-led guidance and information from the University of Sheffield. Learning styles, time management and memory are covered. Contains drag-and-drop practice exercises.