Top three tips to get organised

My best advice to new online students is simple, get organised! Time management and prioritisation are crucial to completing online study units successfully.

I’m completing a Bachelor of Communications in Journalism and PR online at Griffith University. At the same time, I juggle two jobs, am a mother, sit on committees and have other projects on the go. I’m a pretty busy person and this has taught me how to get good at time management and prioritisation.

So, here are my top three tips to get organised for online study:

Calendar keeping

I’m old school, I keep a print-out calendar versus digital because I’ll always have a physical reminder on the desk of my priorities (even if the computer is off). I jot down key dates, such as assessment deadlines and also include draft deadlines that are a week out of assessment due dates. I do this to factor in Smarthinking (a free online tutoring service for Griffith students) before handing in my final assessment. I include necessary personal and family appointments too, so I know when to work around other commitments.

Assessment familiarisation

At the start of any unit, I read all the assessment information upfront to understand what is required and what sections to pay close attention to as I work through the material. By doing this, you will be better prepared and more focused when it comes to assessments.

Reading consistently

Reading every day gets me through a unit’s material consistently and keeps me on track with my studies. If you read sporadically here and there, it will be harder to keep up with the learnings and it might affect assessment. I dedicate one-two hours a day just on reading across the week. Having a good reading technique like the SQ3R is helpful too.

Online studies may seem daunting at first but eventually, being organised becomes habitual. Just like exercising every day is formed out of daily habit, so too is getting organised. Practice every day as an online student and you’ll be well on your way to achieving success.

Find more advice and resources about studying successfully online at Griffith’s Thrive Online website.

By Leticia Alvarez