Organising my time at university

Being a student nurse means that I have a very busy life: from placement to part time work, studying and socialising. Therefore I need to organise my time well to ensure I get the best from my experience.

I have found a number of ways that work for me and help me to remember what I am doing every day and ensure I am learning what I need to.

• Calendar - I am very addicted to using my phone, therefore I decided that the best option for me is to use the calendar on my phone, as I am able to quickly access it wherever I am. This means I can put events in my calendar quickly and also means I will not double book things. 

• Post it notes - I love using them because they stand out and if I am likely to forget something I will write it on a post it note so I don’t!

• Lists - if I have a lot of things to do in one day I like to write lists as it helps me to gradually work through all the things I need to do and not forget anything.

• Timers/alarms - I tend to set all the alarms a week in advance so that I don’t forget to do it and then I try to check it just before I go to bed so that I am waking up at the right time for the day. I also use timers if I am revising to ensure I am doing a certain amount of revision a day, which also works if I am writing an essay.

• Breaks - I always try to give myself one socialising day a week, where I do nothing university related. This is to de-stress, relax and ensure I am spending quality time with my family and friends.

Here are some other tips that I do not use, however I know lots of students who find them very useful:

• Diary - if you prefer writing things down, I would suggest buying a diary at the start of the year and writing down everything you are doing weekly.

• Schedule - using a plan for the day is a good idea too as it means you know exactly what you are doing throughout the day. For example 7am wake up, 7:15am breakfast, 7:30am shower, 8:00am leave etc.

I would say to students ensure that when starting university you start organising early and do not leave it until the last minutes. You will feel better, more alert and will be able to sleep the night before an essay is due if you organise your time well and get your work completed.