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Organization Tips and Strategies

This research guide accompanies the library's Research Smartz workshop about organization.

Organization Benefits

Areas of Organization

There are a variety of organization areas you could focus on. Two major categories include: School and Work Organization; and Personal Organization. Provided below are organization examples for each area. 

School Organization

  • Organizing your learning for school and tracking assignments (internal and external deadlines)​
    • Find an organizational tool that works for you (planner, bullet journal, electronic calendar, etc)
  • Organizing your notes for learning​
    • Decide on a note-taking method and use it regularly (digital vs. physical)
  • Managing your resources​
    • Utilizing citation managers such as Zotero and Mendeley to keep track of resources and citations 
  • Use tools to manage regular technical processes​
    • Password managers are useful for remembering passwords, security questions, and other information. There are many available, however, LastPass is a good, free option
  • Setting realistic goals
    • Make S.M.A.R.T. goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound)

Personal Organization

  • Schedule family/friend time into your life​
    • Block out time on your calendar for spending time with family and/or friends
  • Keep track of appointments​
    • Put all appointments on a calendar or your preferred organization method
  • Track habits (water intake, exercise, healthy eating)​
    • Use apps to track habits and keep yourself accountable to healthy habits you'd like to acquire
  • Use meal planning ​
    • Prep meals ahead of time to save time on cooking, or plan ahead what your meals will be for the week and go grocery shopping 
  • Chore and errand tracking
    • Create a chore chart (can be individual or used as a group)